Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Yes, it’s true. Twits own Twitter.
Spring Broken 0
He vacationed in St. Petersburg and turned into Florida Man.
And Now for a Musical Interlude 0
Aside:
The contrast between this performance and the stupid jingle in the ad that followed was–well, words fail me.
How Stuff Works, “The Dictator’s Handbook” 0
David talks with Professor Alastair Smith about his book, The Dictator’s Handbook. I find it an interesting perspective on realpolitik.
(At about the 10 minute mark, the discussion turns to U. S. politics. If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, I’d strongly recommend picking up the discussion there. And, remember, voting is not a right, it’s a duty.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Self-politeness is the politest kind.
We are a society of stupid.
The Myth of Multitasking 0
Many years ago, I tried out for a tech support job where my potential employers had built “multitasking” into the job description. One was expected to deal with phone calls, emails, and chats simultaneously. It was a great experience, but I ended up not making it through the training period.
Now comes Peg Streep at Psychology Today Blogs to explain that multitasking is a myth (emphasis added); follow the link for the complete piece.
Aside:
The rock that sank my boat had nothing to do with my technical or people skills. Rather, this company placed great emphasis on telling callers and chatters when you would get back the them. I wasn’t able to get that down.
Driving away from that office for the last time was one of the two times in my life I have felt as if a physical weight were being lifted from my shoulders.
War and Mongers of War 0
It was two decades ago that U. S. started the Great and Patriotic War for a Lie in Iraq. I remember standing outside in the smoking area at work. It was the same spot where we had stood and looked up at empty skies in the days following September 11. Though we were just a few miles east of Philadelphia International Airport under one of the approach routes, there were no planes for days . . . .
I was chatting with my boss (who was, by the way, one of the best bosses I ever had). He was opining that “Iraq will be sorry that we have a Texan for president.”
My response was simply, “Dave, I have a bad feeling out this.”
I take no comfort in my qualms having been justified.
That moment came to mind because of something my old friend Noz wrote yesterday about the run up to the Great and Patriotic War for a Lie in Iraq. Here’s a bit of his post:
Sugar Bombs 0
Mike Papantonio and Farron Cousins discuss cereal offenders.
I remember when I was a young ‘un, back in the olden days, when Coco Puffs first came on the market, my brother and I talked my mother into buying a box.
We found them–er–less than desirable.
Extra-Special Bonus QOTD 0
Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards and Gavin MacLeod as Murray Slaughter:
Moore: You said you voted for Peterson, didn’t you?
MacLeod: Yeah.
Moore: You mind my asking why?
MacLeod: Sure. He was a Moe.
Moore: What’s a Moe?
MacLeod: Eenie Meeney Miney Mo.
And that’s how democracy dies.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
One more time, “responsible gun owner” is an oxymoron.
Woke to the Misdirection Play, Reprise 0
You can see the “woke” misdirection play in all its gloried story in one of the most appallingly bogus pieces of deceptive drivel that I’ve read in years. I hesitated about mentioning it, but it illustrates how a misdirection play spreads and pollutes dis coarse discourse.
For one thing, the author claims that “woke” is a movement, when it is, in fact, a right-wing pejorative. There is no “woke” movement except in the minds of bigots who resent being called out for their bigotry.
Then he argues that somehow “woke” is a mirror image of MAGA, whereas, if there were a “woke” movement (remember, no such movement), it would not be a mirror image, it would be the antithesis of MAGA, of bigotry, the antithesis of hate, of–oh, heck, words fail me.
This New Gilded Age 0
Focusing on a proposed law in Iowa, labor leader Tom Conway warns of the consequences of the return of child labor. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
In some cases, it even would permit young teens to work mining and construction jobs and let them use power-driven meat slicers and food choppers.
Just three years ago, a 16-year-old in Tennessee fell 11 stories to his death while working construction on a hotel roof. Another 16-year-old lost an arm that same year while cleaning a meat grinder at a Tennessee supermarket,
But these preventable tragedies mean nothing to Iowa legislators bent on helping greedy employers pad their bottom lines at kids’ expense.
We are a society in regression.
Denial Is Not Just a River in Egypt 0
It’s also on the curriculum in a nearby county’s public schools.
(snip)
Other new principles outlined in the policy include that “parents or guardians have the sole responsibility for guiding their children’s views on controversial topics” and that “no one is inherently a victim or oppressed due to their race (consciously or unconsciously), skin color, gender, religion, national origin, sex, medical condition, age, martial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or disability.”
Aside:
Oh, yeah, by the way, it’s this county.
QOTD 0
William Tecumseh Sherman:
Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.