Saturday, October 31, 2015
Empowered
I suspect the issue is that people are more likely to listen instead of locking them up in solitary?
If only blah people had known to call a legislator, how to advocate. Everything would have been different!
“Because the demographic of people affected are more white, more middle class, these are parents who are empowered,” said Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, better known as the nation’s drug czar. “They know how to call a legislator, they know how to get angry with their insurance company, they know how to advocate. They have been so instrumental in changing the conversation.”
If only blah people had known to call a legislator, how to advocate. Everything would have been different!
Friday, October 30, 2015
The Communists Of CNBC
Republican candidates have all learned that pitching a hissy fit at your "enemies" - especially the libturd media - is how you gain votes. Pissing off libturds, and reacting to supposed slights of libturds, is basically what it means to be a conservative now. Yes no tax dollars for blah people and no abortion for the slutty sluts, but mostly just pissing off libturds.
It's pretty funny, really, other than the "they might run the country" part.
It's pretty funny, really, other than the "they might run the country" part.
Accustomed To
It's not our fault for not paying people enough, it's the fault of people who paid them too much before!!!!
Laughing all the way to the bank, as will William Shitehead for the rest of his life.
We do love our children.
The Cherry Hill-based firm was awarded a two-year, $34 million contract to manage substitute services beginning in September.
It promised to have filled 75 percent of vacancies by the first day of school and 90 percent by January; it filled 24 percent of sub jobs Thursday, leaving 505 classes without teachers.
Initially, Source4Teachers officials said Philadelphia substitute pay rates had been artificially high. But many per-diem teachers who had worked in city classrooms opted not to work for Source4Teachers, citing the pay.
"It's not surprising to see a fair amount of criticism directed at the pay rates," said Owen Murphy, Source4Teachers spokesman. "We inherited a situation where the sub talent pool in some cases had become accustomed to higher rates."
Laughing all the way to the bank, as will William Shitehead for the rest of his life.
We do love our children.
Some Of Us Were Alive In The 90s
I'll admit to being pretty clueless about gay rights issues in my younger days. I was shockingly old before I knew my first out gay person (Out to me, at least. There were people I knew who were gay but they weren't out to me. That distinction matters, as while it wasn't their job to educate me, not having conversations about this stuff, not having gay people just being a "normal" part of life, made it easier for me to be clueless.)
But even clueless me knew DOMA was bullshit, and less clueless me knows that justifications, 19 years later, for DOMA are even more bullshit.
But even clueless me knew DOMA was bullshit, and less clueless me knows that justifications, 19 years later, for DOMA are even more bullshit.
How Did People Become Such Assholes
Anecdote is not data, but sometimes the lack of empathy among my fellow Americans shocks even cynical me. I would have thought having kids would cure that a bit, but people seem to be happy to sentence The Kids Today to a horrible life. I don't have kids, but jesus take my tax money to pay for their education.
It's Fun To Kick Them When They're Down
I'm not going to waste my beautiful mind feeling sorry for Jeb Bush, but it's been interesting watching the discourse shift. All the cool kids in the press now mock the Jebster. He's gone from being the inevitable frontfunner to being the nerd the bullies pick on.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
The Good Old Days
Maddening that the olds don't know - or pretend not to know - that life for The Kids Today is much more expensive.
Rubiomentum
It amuses me how the press manages to agree on the clown car debate "winner" every time. I'm so old I remember when Carly Fiorina was SURGING. You kids are probably too young, but old guys like me remember what happened two weeks ago. She nailed it! And was the new frontrunner! Those were good times. This week apparently it's Rubio, whose boyish bad looks and boyish bad demeanor and boyish boyishness will charm everybody who really likes boyishness. Or something. I don't know. They're all weirdos to me, but the "establishment" has decided that Trump and Carson must be vanquished.
Afternoon Thread
Did you know that "afternoon" refers to a time that is "after noon." That is, a time that is later than 12 o'clock PM, the noon time. If the little hand has crossed the 12, and it is still light outside, there's a pretty good chance that it is indeed afternoon. As in, after noon! Language can be so clever!
Open Carry For Some, Summary Execution For Others
There's no doubt that open carry laws are just open carry for some, and excuse to execute others. The right kind of people will be allowed to carry guns, the scary kind of people will be shot for having them. And this will all make sense to gun lovers, because they know who the good guys with guns are and who the bad guys with guns are. Hint: white people versus blah people.
Things We Can Afford
Even aside from the fact that they don't work, I'm pretty sure these blimps aren't something we "need" even by the logic of the national security state, except to the extent that the logic is "pay your friends as much money as possible for stupid things."
On the bright side, they're less deadly than most of the stupid things we pay for, so I guess that deserves a cheer.
On the bright side, they're less deadly than most of the stupid things we pay for, so I guess that deserves a cheer.
Grrr
Note to Sanders' campaign team: When you explain your "strategy" to the press, it ceases to be a strategy.
Some of us are old enough and smart enough to remember how we shuddered every time we saw the name "Stephanopoulos" in the newspapers. No one is going to forgive you if you turn this campaign into another "We're the Clever Boys" show.
Do not talk to the press about your strategy. You can only harm your candidate by doing it, so just stfu.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Some days it's difficult to avoid concluding that all of politics - politicians, pundits, and, yes, humble bloggers - is just a vehicle for narcissism.
It is all about me, you fucking fucks.
It is all about me, you fucking fucks.
But She Was Full Of The Disrespect!!!
I don't know how much it was white boy privileged upbringing, and how much it was just a different time, but I never worried about getting my ass kicked because of "misbehavior" in schools.
South Carolina authorities will announce Wednesday that Richland County Senior Deputy Ben Fields, the school resource officer who was caught on camera violently flipping a high school student in her classroom, will be relieved of duty, sources told NBC News.
Vaporware
Happy to be wrong, but these "we'll get it right in a few years..." predictions are pretty much the norm.
For some reason doubts about self-driving cars piss people off. Not sure why. As I said, happy to be wrong! But they won't work! Not as promised, anyway. Cruise control plus will work, but otherwise...
Nissan Motor Co. showed a concept vehicle loaded with laser scanners, a 360 degree camera setup, a radar and computer chips so the car can "think" to deliver autonomous driving. The Japanese automaker called it IDS, which stands for "intelligent driving system."
Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, said it will offer some autonomous driving features by the end of next year in Japan. By 2018, it said vehicles with the technology will be able to conduct lane changes on highways. By 2020, such vehicles will be able to make their way through intersections on regular urban roads.
For some reason doubts about self-driving cars piss people off. Not sure why. As I said, happy to be wrong! But they won't work! Not as promised, anyway. Cruise control plus will work, but otherwise...
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Poor Dears
I've never been a fan of branding combat Vets as "warriors" but, pretty sure these guys aren't warriors...
Kasich joins Bush and Rubio in being extremely open about their own frustrations with campaign and/or day job. No happy warriors right now
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) October 27, 2015Fighting You Fighting Me A Cat In The Hat And A Tin Possum Makes Three
Our "Syria policy" makes less sense than that title.
Tuesday Christmas Bonus Blogging
As I regularly say, the best way to contribute to this humble blog is to take some money from Jeff Bezos and give it to me. Don't like Amazon? Don't shop there! But if you are going to shop there, click on one of the many links on this blog before doing so. Your ungrateful brats adorable nieces and nephews need some presents after all! How about a nice TV?
What Could Go Wrong?
If only there were options other than "killing more people." Bueller? Bueller?
The Pentagon is never wrong, so...
President Obama’s most senior national security advisers have recommended measures that would move U.S. troops closer to the front lines in Iraq and Syria, officials said, a sign of mounting White House dissatisfaction with progress against the Islamic State and a renewed Pentagon push to expand military involvement in long-running conflicts overseas.
The Pentagon is never wrong, so...
Monday, October 26, 2015
Self-Made Men
Who amongst us?
Not sure when that was, but it was long enough ago that a million was a hell of a lot more than a million today...
My whole life, really, has been a no, and I fought through it. And, you, know, I talk about it. It’s not been easy for me, it has not been easy for me. You know, I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars. I came into Manhattan, and I had to pay him back, and I had to pay him back with interest. But I came into Manhattan and I started buying properties, and I did great.
Not sure when that was, but it was long enough ago that a million was a hell of a lot more than a million today...
Who Is The Frontrunner This Week?
The thing with Republican primaries is that everybody gets their turn. It's like the much-derided "everybody gets a medal just for showing up." I think it's Rubio this week, though maybe Carson? I don't know. I remember when Fiorina was the inevitable candidate. It's mostly unrelated to actual poll numbers, which despite flaws are actual data. The press likes to feel it at you, all together, all at the same time
Make It Stop
Annoying ads have been around for a long time, but Annoying Ads The Next Generation just make me want to not bother clicking on your website at all. I don't want to play Where's Waldo with the Whack-A-Mole "X" every time I access your site. 17+ years of hating the internet, and everybody just keeps doing their best to make it worse.
Is That You, Sarah?
Sure the Senate sucks, but I'm not sure why someone who hates being a senator would love being president, a job which also sucks.
So glad we're paying your salary, senator.
“I don’t know that ‘hate’ is the right word,” Rubio said in an interview. “I’m frustrated.”
This year, as Rubio runs for president, he has cast the Senate — the very place that cemented him as a national politician — as a place he’s given up on, after less than one term. It’s too slow. Too rule-bound. So Rubio, 44, has decided not to run for his seat again. It’s the White House or bust.
“That’s why I’m missing votes. Because I am leaving the Senate. I am not running for reelection,” Rubio said in the last Republican debate, after Donald Trump had mocked him for his unusual number of absences during Senate votes.
So glad we're paying your salary, senator.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
All About The Rich People
I will never understand this. Most of the people cycling in my neighborhood are minorities and presumably not rich given the not exactly luxury bikes they're usually riding. Also, they're not driving cars. Where did this idea that bikes are just for people whose other choice is their BMW come from?
Whose perception? There's an issue with bikeshare requiring credit cards (Philly does allow for cash, though it's not a perfect system), but otherwise?
"There's a perception of biking being for wealthier people who are not minorities," said Paul DeMaio, who was integral to launching Capital Bikeshare in the Washington area. "It's overcoming these hurdles that we're all facing."
Whose perception? There's an issue with bikeshare requiring credit cards (Philly does allow for cash, though it's not a perfect system), but otherwise?
About The Last Seven Years Of My Education Policy
Maybe I can take some of it back?
So much wrong was loaded into this remark by Arne Duncan.
So the expected opposition would be from black urban moms whose kids we already knew were stupid? That the whole point is to prove that suburban schools in white areas suck too? I don't even quite know, but whatever he meant it was all kinds of messed up.
Faced with mounting and bipartisan opposition to increased and often high-stakes testing in the nation’s public schools, the Obama administration declared Saturday that the push had gone too far, acknowledged its own role in the proliferation of tests, and urged schools to step back and make exams less onerous and more purposeful.
So much wrong was loaded into this remark by Arne Duncan.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told a group of state schools superintendents Friday that he found it “fascinating” that some of the opposition to the Common Core State Standards has come from “white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were.”
So the expected opposition would be from black urban moms whose kids we already knew were stupid? That the whole point is to prove that suburban schools in white areas suck too? I don't even quite know, but whatever he meant it was all kinds of messed up.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
The End Of Big Law
For-profit law schools in particular are a big grift, but the whole industry is to some extent. And while I'm all for people getting paid, the fantasy the law professors "need" to be highly compensated because "of course" they can get high paying jobs elsewhere (hahaha good luck with that, go get an offer) is ending too. Again, don't resent the wages, just the attitude that relative to others in academia, people who face peer review and other assorted nightmares, they're extra special and valuable because The Market.
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Grand Grift
I'm not going to claim that all fundraising efforts on The Left are pure and decent, but Republican/conservative fundraising has been known to be a big scam for decades. Nothing new.
The calls to oust Republican leaders in Congress did not come from Democrats. They came from conservative websites and bloggers who have helped stoke a grass-roots rebellion to make Congress more conservative, a fevered continuation of the six-year Tea Party movement.
But these politically charged appeals to conservatives around the country were often accompanied by a solicitation for money, and the ultimate beneficiaries, records suggest, are the consultants who created the campaigns rather than the causes they are promoting.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
And whatever happens, Seattle Tunnel Partners will be laughing all the way to their offshore bank accounts.
"It's like a practical joke at this point, right?" That's what Heidi Groover asked me after I opened the e-mail from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). It announced that Bertha's restart and completion dates would be postponed another month behind schedule. This is the fourth time the state's contractor, Seattle Tunnel Partners, has pushed back the tunnel project's end-date.
Positive Bus Control
Rail safety is a real issue, but there's a tendency to react very strongly (and expensively) when there's an accident. Road deaths are just accepted as part of daily life.
Forty-two people were killed Friday near Bordeaux when a bus collided with a truck in France’s worst road accident for more than three decades.
“Around 7:30 this morning, a truck hit a bus, which then caught fire,” Gerard Dupuy, deputy mayor of the town of Puisseguin, southwest France, said on France Info radio. “It happened on a dangerous turn,” he said, adding that accidents had previously occurred there.
Morning Thread
I'm sure the righties will find some way to spin yesterday's Benghazi Hearing to their advantage eventually, but for now they seem pretty disappointed.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Just In Case
Yes it's always pooping in the punchbowl to say that the next great technology won't work as people expect. I'm happy to be wrong. That it doesn't work now does not mean that it will never work, and even if it doesn't work perfectly, well, people don't work perfectly either. Still I think this is a problem...
Yah good luck with that.
(ht reader ST)
One owner found the car swerved in the direction of a lay-by when the white lines were not painted on both sides of the car, another swerved towards a car in the next lane while emitting warnings about an imminent side impact. The AutoPilot system has also been shown speeding and being pulled over by police.
Tesla is very clear about the fact that the driver is responsible for the car at all times and should be actively in control, despite the AutoPilot system: it will be the driver’s fault, not Tesla’s if the car ends up in a road traffic collision.
Yah good luck with that.
(ht reader ST)
What Could Go Wrong
The only thing that can stop a bad guy with an F-16...
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is preparing to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, senior American officials said, an overture intended to bolster a tenuous partnership despite persistent concerns about Islamabad’s ties to elements of the Taliban and quickly expanding nuclear arsenal.
Could Be
Who can say? I guess we'll have to investigate. Who knows what we might find? All very mysterious, really.
We'll be sure to get to the bottom of this.
FRANKFURT — Volkswagen said on Thursday that it was investigating whether substantially more vehicles than previously disclosed were equipped with software intended to deceive emissions tests, raising the possibility of even greater damage to the company’s reputation and finances.
We'll be sure to get to the bottom of this.
Road Rage
Do not get.
Lilly died Tuesday after a gunman opened fire on her father's pickup as he drove on the interstate. The attack occurred after two vehicles cut each other off in traffic, authorities said.
Tony Torrez, 32, has confessed to the shooting and was taken into custody Wednesday, authorities said.
Ammosexuals
Gun nuts get a bit, um, obsessed with their detachable death penises.
In 2013, there were an estimated 8.1 firearms in the typical gun-owning household, according to these data. In 1994, the average gun-owning household owned 4.2 guns.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Paul Ryan, Communist
Hilarious, girl.
UPDATE: 11 Freedom Caucus members publicly reject Paul Ryan, enough to doom candidacy for speaker https://t.co/SBM7iiyGtR
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) October 21, 2015
Our Assholes, Their Assholes
We're good buddies with horrible countries with horrible human rights records. We also like to condemn "regimes" (that's what we call bad governments) that maybe are less than perfect but are often much better than our good buddies. We're a bit less than perfect, also, too.
The "funny" thing is that our press plays along with this stuff. Saudi Arabia is our good buddy. No politician gets any shit for playing nice with them.
The "funny" thing is that our press plays along with this stuff. Saudi Arabia is our good buddy. No politician gets any shit for playing nice with them.
The Old Guy Still Hanging Out At College Bars
As I'm increasingly An Old I'm increasingly attuned to how much commentary is really just a version of GetOffMyLawnism. The Kids Today aren't doing it right. TV is terrible compared to the golden age of 1983. And, yah, the world - or at least a part of that world - passes you by after awhile. Nothing wrong with hanging out at the college bar, but if The Kids there aren't all that interested in you, well, when you were a Kid Back Then, you weren't too interested in The Olds either.
Things change. Times change. The don't really change all that much, really, or at least not so fast, though I think the internet has been an exception to that to some extent, but the details do change a bit. Still if you find yourself thinking that the scene just isn't as cool as it used to be, it's probably because you don't feel as cool as you used to feel. Because you aren't. Life goes on...
Things change. Times change. The don't really change all that much, really, or at least not so fast, though I think the internet has been an exception to that to some extent, but the details do change a bit. Still if you find yourself thinking that the scene just isn't as cool as it used to be, it's probably because you don't feel as cool as you used to feel. Because you aren't. Life goes on...
More Shortages
I thought the invisible hand was supposed lead to increased wages and compensation to solve this shortage problem. Must be the fault of Obama and the communism.
An in-cab refrigerator! Why that might set Mertz's company back upwards of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Our benevolent overlords will stop at nothing, avoid no expense, to solve this shortage problem.
On any given day, Mertz, like nearly every trucking executive in the country, is desperately seeking more drivers - the industry needs 47,500 more of them. If an in-cab refrigerator can draw someone, Mertz would probably install it himself.
An in-cab refrigerator! Why that might set Mertz's company back upwards of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Our benevolent overlords will stop at nothing, avoid no expense, to solve this shortage problem.
First In Line
One cute feature of our state charter school law is that they are first in line for money. School districts have to pay them first. Wonderful!
Adding to the financial strain on school districts, the Department of Education has said it will withhold portions of gambling revenue to those school districts that have stopped making payments to charter schools because of the impasse.
The gambling money - the only state money flowing to districts during the stalemate - is normally used by districts for property-tax relief.
Education officials are now skimming off a portion of that funding to pay charters. In a statement, they said that Pennsylvania's charter-school law states that if a school district doesn't pay its charters, the state "shall" deduct that amount from "any and all" payments to the district.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Mysteries
If only there was some way that wages could adjust in order to encourage more people to go into a profession with high demand.
I think I used to teach about how that could happen in a market economy, but then Obama and the communism and whatnot so now ???
In the last year, though, the sound has become deafening. At conferences, over beers and on social media, chefs and restaurateurs are openly worrying (not to say complaining) about a crisis-level shortage of cooks. In scores of interviews via phone and email, chefs and restaurateurs confirmed that the shortage has affected their hiring.
I think I used to teach about how that could happen in a market economy, but then Obama and the communism and whatnot so now ???
No Respect
I usually manage to avoid this kind of mindreading, but, hey, what the hell. I get the sense that Jim Webb took his ball and went home because despite not having anything resembling an actual working political campaign everyone was supposed to ooh and ahh and hand him the nomination. Apparently Craig Crawford (!) was his communications person who no one ever actually managed to communicate with. Anyway, the fantasy of announcing you're running for president and being at eleventy gazillion % in the polls is nice, but it's a fantasy. Running for president is hard work, or at the very least you need to hire people who are going to do some hard work.
I Can't Stop Laughing
It's like all the Whitewater-era mash notes to Ken Starr. Trey Gowdy is the last honest man in Washington.
Going to invite WaPo reporter Mike DeBonis over for dinner, serve him a plate of shit, and tell him it's Beluga caviar.
He'll probably ask for a second plate.
Almost from the moment he was named chairman of the House investigation into the 2012 attacks on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi, Libya, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) has been insisting that he would keep the probe above the political fray.
...
And the politicization of the probe has forced Gowdy, a former state and federal prosecutor chosen for his reputation as a careful investigator, to repeatedly play defense to preserve the committee’s credibility.
Going to invite WaPo reporter Mike DeBonis over for dinner, serve him a plate of shit, and tell him it's Beluga caviar.
In an interview with CNN, Podliska charged that “there was very little work actually being done” by the committee, where staffers were “surfing the Web all day long” and even “drinking during the work day.” He claims that staffers set up a “gun buying club” and would spend “hours at a time” designing custom firearms.
He'll probably ask for a second plate.
Contrary to your claims, the CIA yesterday informed both the Republican and Democratic staffs of the Select Committee that they do not consider the information you highlighted in your letter to be classified. Specifically, the CIA confirmed that “the State Department consulted with the CIA on this production, the CIA reviewed these documents, and the CIA made no redactions to protect classified information.”
Unfortunately, you sent your letter on October 7 without checking first with the CIA. Now that we have done so, we have learned that your accusations were incorrect.
As a result of your actions, the State Department yesterday asked the Select Committee not to reveal the individual’s name publicly, not for classification reasons, but to protect the individual’s privacy and avoid bringing additional undue attention to this person.
Unfortunately, the standard operating procedure of this Select Committee has become to put out information publicly that is inaccurate and out of context in order to attack Secretary Clinton for political reasons. These repeated actions bring discredit on this investigation and undermine the integrity of the Select Committee and the House of Representatives.
Heckuva Job
If only there was someone whose job it was to run the school district, who had been on the job for several years, and who didn't have a severe funding shortage to blame for his failures.
But the Philadelphia Daily News says shutupShutupShutUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP and let the Shitehead just do his job!!!
Heckuva job, People's Paper.
Seven weeks into the school year, thousands of Philadelphia schoolchildren have yet to be assigned permanent teachers.
On top of a substitute-teaching predicament that leaves hundreds of jobs unfilled every day, the Philadelphia School District - with 190 vacancies - has created a crisis, "either through neglect or incompetence," union president Jerry Jordan said Monday.
At Northeast High School alone, 1,815 students are affected by 11 unfilled teaching jobs and three vacancies created by long-term medical leaves, most of which were known about months ago, officials said.
But the Philadelphia Daily News says shutupShutupShutUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP and let the Shitehead just do his job!!!
Heckuva job, People's Paper.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Who Could It Be
If there was only someone responsible, someone in charge who could be held accountable for these decisions.
I think there is! His name rhymes with "shite," and he believed a firm paying minimum wage equivalent could provide acceptable substitute teachers, transferring the "savings" to the firm's profits. So the company makes money, the substitutes aren't hired, and the kids get shafted. Probably their test scores will go down, so then their schools will "fail," and we can scale up to transferring it all to more for profit charters. Everybody wins! Well, not everybody, but, you know.
Today, company charged with staffing #PHLed classrooms with substitutes had a fill rate of 19 percent, officials said.
— Kristen Graham (@newskag) October 19, 2015
I think there is! His name rhymes with "shite," and he believed a firm paying minimum wage equivalent could provide acceptable substitute teachers, transferring the "savings" to the firm's profits. So the company makes money, the substitutes aren't hired, and the kids get shafted. Probably their test scores will go down, so then their schools will "fail," and we can scale up to transferring it all to more for profit charters. Everybody wins! Well, not everybody, but, you know.
The World's Worst Humans
Justin Wolfers.
Whatever the merits of the article in question, the contempt that some social scientists (#notallsocialscientists) have for the humanities always amuses me. Yes all economists hold their own 740 word op-eds and their 140 twitterz to the standards of peer reviewed research, complete with FACTS and not just RHETORIC.
Get a fucking mirror. Jeebus. I is an economist. Back in my day we all joked we hung our papers on "factoids" which, as you might guess, are something less than facts.
If humanities scholars made more convincing arguments—prizing facts over rhetoric—we might listen to their lectures. http://t.co/E5nOw38ZwJ
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) October 18, 2015
Whatever the merits of the article in question, the contempt that some social scientists (#notallsocialscientists) have for the humanities always amuses me. Yes all economists hold their own 740 word op-eds and their 140 twitterz to the standards of peer reviewed research, complete with FACTS and not just RHETORIC.
Get a fucking mirror. Jeebus. I is an economist. Back in my day we all joked we hung our papers on "factoids" which, as you might guess, are something less than facts.
Arab Spring
Just add mooooaarr weapons and stir.
I doubt anyone's goals are that straightforward or clear to the people adding more weapons. We must do something. Helping to blow people up is something.
Another something would be accepting refugees. Hahaha I kid.
Rebel groups supported by the United States are focused on toppling the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, not rooting out the Islamic State.
The United States is focused on defeating the Islamic State. While it has attacked 2,600 Islamic State targets, it has not directly attacked the Syrian government and it is backing rebel groups only with money, arms and some training.
Russia, Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah want to keep Mr. Assad in power, for now. Russia, in coordination with Syrian ground forces, has aimed the vast majority of its airstrikes at rebel positions.
The Islamic State, meanwhile, wants to both unseat Mr. Assad and create a caliphate stretching beyond Syria’s borders into Iraq and other countries.
I doubt anyone's goals are that straightforward or clear to the people adding more weapons. We must do something. Helping to blow people up is something.
Another something would be accepting refugees. Hahaha I kid.
Simple
Not that I really care about their fate, but I do wish someone would pay me to be the gazillion dollar CEO of McDonald's. I'm not exactly a regular customer, but on those rare occasions I enter one I can't read the damn menu. This is not (I hope) an I Am Old Everything Is Confusing assertion, it's just that the menus are gibberish. Simplify it. Make it fast. If I want fast food I want it to be simple and fast. Thus the name. All the tinkering and complexity really does put the whole franchise model into question. A few options. Do them right. The occasional marketing gimmick. The end.
Maybe I should just be in charge of everything. Vote Atrios for everything.
Maybe I should just be in charge of everything. Vote Atrios for everything.
It Can't Happen To Me
This isn't a response to anything specifically, but I'm frequently "amused" by people (newspaper site commenters) who think that they are to smart/savvy/etc. to get screwed by their bank/insurance company/telco/credit card company. Blaming the victim seems to be one of America's great sports, perhaps surpassing ice hockey, but it's incredible how many people think they are so smart that they are immune to the possibility of outright fraud.
You're not.
You're not.
Morning Thread
Just casually following the Gowdy Committee and its shenanigans convinces me that it is always better to have a Democratic majority in the House, even if some of that majority is made up of Blue Dogs.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
shutupshutUpShutUpShutUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP
Amazing that some of Gowdy's colleagues are smarter and/or more honest than most of the media.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he has told Republican colleagues to "shut up talking about things that you don't know anything about. And unless you're on the committee, you have no idea what we have done, why we have done it and what new facts we have found."
Judd Tries To Answer Question
But there still is no definitive answer about just who was President on 9/11. Maybe it was fourthbranch?
Trump Don't Care
It's hard not to be amused by the Trump candidacy purely as theater. It is fun that he gets to violate the conventions of The Village, a place where saying mean things about John McCain will get you drummed out of politics forever, or so they think, and where suggesting that George W. Bush, and not Bill Clinton, was president on 9/11 is blasphemy. Because those things are silly, and Trump don't care.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
I Wonder If We Will Finally Learn Who Was President On September 11, 2001
Maybe?
What would you ask @JebBush?The former Florida governor, fired up over Trump's comments about W and 9/11, joins us exclusively on SOTU
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 17, 2015Friday, October 16, 2015
Five Years Of Madness
The hangover is still with us, but the drunk fever really lasted for five years. I'm glad I don't teach anymore. The Kids Today - college freshmen - were 4 to 5 years old on the day that George W. Bush Kept Us Safe. It was fourteen years ago. When I was a freshman, the fall of Saigon was fourteen years previous, and I didn't have any fucking idea what that was all about. I mean, I might have (don't even remember) had some vague idea what it was about, but no idea what it was about in 1975 when it happened. The point I'm trying to make is that we were a nation gone mad, much more than usual, for five years after the horrible events of 9/11, and it'd be pretty much impossible to explain that to people who didn't live through it. Knowing the facts isn't knowing the mood. I couldn't explain it to The Kids Today.
For Your Consideration
How pathetic for @realdonaldtrump to criticize the president for 9/11. We were attacked & my brother kept us safe.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) October 16, 2015
A Whole Lotta Grifting Going On
I do wish more well-intended "education reformers" (I think they exist, or maybe they just used to. They're a lot quieter these days.) would acknowledge whatever the merits of charter schools in principle (and, hey, I don't even disagree in certain circumstances), that the whole endeavor has just been one big grift from start to finish (#notallcharterschools). The "reform movement" was about destroying public schools and teacher's unions while hoovering up all the quarters they could find under the cushions. A lot of quarters, apparently.
Dirty Fucking Hippies Versus The Very Serious People
It's funny how often this dynamic plays out, not just in politics but in life where I notice it more and more. I suppose it's a version of the Jocks versus the Nerds, or bullies versus losers, though in different contexts the Jocks might be more Nerdlike and vice versa.
The Very Serious People always act like the smelly hippies are ruining their good time, what with all the patchouli and the crazytalk and the silly irrationality, though the VSPs generally have all the power and don't have much to fear from the hippies. Still everybody likes to punch a hippie, to slushy a nerd. Why not?
The Very Serious People always act like the smelly hippies are ruining their good time, what with all the patchouli and the crazytalk and the silly irrationality, though the VSPs generally have all the power and don't have much to fear from the hippies. Still everybody likes to punch a hippie, to slushy a nerd. Why not?
The Good Guys With The Tank
Heckuva job.
A US tank has forced its way into the shell of the Afghanistan hospital destroyed in an airstrike 11 days ago, prompting warnings that the US military may have destroyed evidence in a potential war crimes investigation.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Justus
How it works.
Two of the three suspects in the September 2014 attack on a gay couple in Philadelphia entered guilty pleas on Thursday morning, bringing their cases to a close after months of plea negotiations. A third suspect indicated she plans to go to trial.
Kevin Harrigan pleaded to one count each of simple assault and conspiracy. Philip Williams pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy and aggravated assault. They had been charged with two counts each of aggravated assault, conspiracy, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. Neither man will spend a day in jail.
Smart Bombs
At least as smart as Dick Cheney is.
The White House and Pentagon boast that the targeted killing program is precise and that civilian deaths are minimal. However, documents detailing a special operations campaign in northeastern Afghanistan, Operation Haymaker, show that between January 2012 and February 2013, U.S. special operations airstrikes killed more than 200 people. Of those, only 35 were the intended targets. During one five-month period of the operation, according to the documents, nearly 90 percent of the people killed in airstrikes were not the intended targets. In Yemen and Somalia, where the U.S. has far more limited intelligence capabilities to confirm the people killed are the intended targets, the equivalent ratios may well be much worse.
“Anyone caught in the vicinity is guilty by association,” the source said. When “a drone strike kills more than one person, there is no guarantee that those persons deserved their fate. … So it’s a phenomenal gamble.”
Grifters Gonna Grift
The presidential campaign as personal promotion racket should be obvious by now. The press needs to acknowledge it more.
Carson's a contender! It isn't as if he's polling at asterisk level, but he doesn't want to be president. Why would he? It's a shitty job. Branding, baby, branding.
GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson is stepping away from the campaign trail to promote his new book, “A More Perfect Union,” according to ABC News.
Carson's a contender! It isn't as if he's polling at asterisk level, but he doesn't want to be president. Why would he? It's a shitty job. Branding, baby, branding.
Boo
Not too surprising given the proliferation of new music venues in the city, but I liked the North Star Bar. Don't remember everybody I saw there, but do remember seeing Pretty Girls Make Graves, Destroyer, and Portastatic. Saw Mac from Portastatic reading my blog on his laptop while eating dinner before the show. That's just how cool I am.
Anyway, things change, but it's always much easiesr to shutter a small live music venue than to open one. They're noisy and they're open a bit late and I get that neighbors aren't always thrilled to have them, but it's sad to see them go.
Anyway, things change, but it's always much easiesr to shutter a small live music venue than to open one. They're noisy and they're open a bit late and I get that neighbors aren't always thrilled to have them, but it's sad to see them go.
Hopefully
Well then.
For example, the sensors, cameras, radar and software could easily be flummoxed by rain, snow, dust or fog. While it is good at detecting large, solid objects — even when moving at high speeds — pedestrians and cyclists might be more tricky, Mr Musk admitted.
“It should not hit pedestrians, hopefully,” he said. “It can see and sense cyclists and pedestrians. It should brake before hitting them . . . [But] I wouldn’t want to say today, don’t worry about it.”
In any accident, the driver remains liable, he added.
Another 14 Years Should Do It
We just can't quit you.
WASHINGTON — The United States will halt its military withdrawal from Afghanistan and instead keep thousands of troops in the country through the end of President Obama’s term in 2017, Mr. Obama will announce on Thursday, prolonging the American role in a war that has now stretched on for 14 years.
The current American force in Afghanistan of 9,800 troops will remain in place through most of 2016 under the Obama administration’s revised plans, before dropping to about 5,500 at the end of next year or in early 2017, senior administration officials said.
Mint The Damn Coin Already
Put Paul Robeson's face on it, just to up the trolling game, too.
The debt limit deadline will hit Congress sooner than previously anticipated, as Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told lawmakers Thursday he would be out of maneuvers on Nov. 3.
In a new letter sent to lawmakers, Lew said he expects Treasury will have exhausted its “extraordinary measures” to operate under the borrowing cap two days earlier than he previously forecast. Lew told lawmakers at the beginning of October he thought he could free up space underneath the $18.1 trillion borrowing cap until Nov. 5.
Morning Thread
Our good friend, Athenae, over at First Draft is putting together a "best of" anthology from First Draft posts.
You can pre-order the book at Kickstarter. Knowing Athenae, it will be great!
This book collects some of our best stories from the past 10 years: Bush’s re-election and subsequent implosion, Scout’s reporting from NOLA after Hurricane Katrina, Holden’s story about Terri Schiavo and his sister, my final Galactica thread, the Freepi obsession the morning after Obama’s election, a malaka or two, and Jude’s gumbo recipe.
You can pre-order the book at Kickstarter. Knowing Athenae, it will be great!
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Oh No, Not the Prison Guard Training Program
What will Saudi Arabia do without the crucial prison guard training program?
Quite impressed by the fact that the reporter managed to not mention anything related to, say, this.
But that prison guard deal! It's off!
LONDON — For more than a year, an asthmatic 74-year-old grandfather and former oil executive has sat in a prison in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, accused of violating the country’s strict prohibition on alcohol after the authorities found bottles of homemade wine in his car.
...
The British government said Tuesday that it was canceling a program to train prison officers in Saudi Arabia and that Prime Minister David Cameron would make a personal appeal for clemency, as Mr. Andree’s case continued to draw attention on social media.
Quite impressed by the fact that the reporter managed to not mention anything related to, say, this.
Since the conflict escalated in March the UK has issued 37 arms export licences for arms transfers to Saudi Arabia. The government has declined to tell parliament the details of these deals. It justifies the continued fuelling of the crisis on the grounds it has assurances from the Saudi government that its bombing campaign is in accordance with international law.
But that prison guard deal! It's off!
On Notice
Did you send them a sternly worded letter? Threaten to leave them off your Christmas card list? I bet they're really frightened now, Mr. Hite, and I'm sure your laywers drafted an ironclad contract which ensures that they will be punished for not doing the job you hired them to do.
That "patience has run out" line has surely frightened them. I bet that the company is now reconsidering their cunning plan to effectively pay people the minimum wage (including preparation etc.) to take over classrooms at a moment's notice. Wow, Mr. Hite, they're thinking, we thought this would work! And so did you, because you gave us all that money to make it work! But, jeepers, now that we're "on notice" what should we do???
After the hearing, though, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., responding to reporters' questions, sounded the most ominous warning yet about the firm awarded a $34 million contract to handle substitute-teaching services. That company, Cherry Hill-based Source4Teachers, has underperformed all year.
"My patience has run out" with Source4Teachers, Hite said.
The company promised that 75 percent of open sub jobs would be filled on the first day of school. It's never come close, acheiving a fill rate in the low teens initially. The rate was 19 percent on Friday, and 22 percent the day before - and those gains were made after the district told Source4Teachers to bump up its pay rate and hire more internal staff to process candidates.
Hite Wednesday reiterated earlier statements, saying he had put Source4Teachers "on notice."
That "patience has run out" line has surely frightened them. I bet that the company is now reconsidering their cunning plan to effectively pay people the minimum wage (including preparation etc.) to take over classrooms at a moment's notice. Wow, Mr. Hite, they're thinking, we thought this would work! And so did you, because you gave us all that money to make it work! But, jeepers, now that we're "on notice" what should we do???
The Internet As Video Game
Reading most mainstream sites these days is like trying to play a game of Angry Birds. You have to click here, and there, and there, just to maybe read a couple of paragraphs before it scrolls up or to the side or a popover ad appears and you have to find the little 'X' to click to make it go away before it all starts again.
Sites gotta make a buck, but what the hell are advertisers thinking? That this stuff actually sells products?
Sites gotta make a buck, but what the hell are advertisers thinking? That this stuff actually sells products?
What's the Problem?
Nothing wrong with this.
Richard Cohen - yes, the funny one - explained this all to you years ago.
Being racist is not in itself racism. Just deal with it black people.
It was nearing closing time in March last year when a manager at Boffi Georgetown dispatched a series of alarmed messages. Observing two men yelling outside the luxury kitchen and bath showroom, Julia Walter reached for her phone and accessed a private messaging application that hundreds of residents, retailers and police in this overwhelmingly white, wealthy neighborhood use to discuss people they deem suspicious.
“2 black males screaming at each other in alley,” Walter wrote. “. . . Help needed.”
One minute later, a District police officer posted he would check it out, and Walter felt relieved. But as weeks gave way to months and the private group spawned hundreds of messages, Walter’s relief turned to unease. The overwhelming majority of the people the app’s users cited were black. Was the chatroom reducing crime along the high-end retail strip? Was it making people feel safer? Or was it racial profiling?
Richard Cohen - yes, the funny one - explained this all to you years ago.
In order to be admitted to certain Washington jewelry stores, customers have to ring a bell. The ring-back that opens the door is almost perfunctory. According to the owner of one store, only one type of person does not get admitted: Young black males. The owner says they are the ones who stick him up.
Nearby is a men's clothing shop -- upscale, but not really expensive. When young black males enter this store, the sales help are instructed to leave their customers and, in the manner of defensive backs in football, "collapse" on the blacks. Politely, but firmly, they are sort of shooed out of the store. The owner's explanation for this? Young blacks are his shoplifters.
Are these examples of racism? The shopkeepers either think so or think they can be accused of it. They are loath to talk about their policies and quick to assert their liberalism, but business, as they say, is business. Most of their customers apparently concur. Usually they say nothing when they see blacks turned away, and one white congressman, witnessing some blacks being rebuffed, said that if he owned the store, he would do the same even though he considers himself a liberal. He obviously thought there was a contradiction between his ideology and his self-interest.
...
For too long now, liberals have reacted to race as predictably as the racists they so abhor. Like racists, they too sometimes see nothing but race, ignoring all other factors. As long as race is involved, it dominates. For instance, it was not just race that bothered some school-busing opponents; it was social class as well. As for our Washington storekeepers, race is only one factor in their admissions policy. Age and sex count, too. And while race is clearly the most compelling factor, ask yourself what their policies would be if young white males were responsible for most urban crime.
Of course, all policies based on generalities have their injustices. A storekeeper might not know that the youths he has refused to admit are theology students -- rich ones at that. But then insurance companies had no way of knowing I was not a typical teen- age driver. I paid through the nose anyway.
A nation with our history is entitled to be sensitive to race and racism -- and we are all wary of behavior that would bring a charge of racism. But the mere recognition of race as a factor -- especially if those of the same race recognize the same factor -- is not in itself racism. This may apply as much to some opponents of busing or public housing in their own neighborhood as it does to who gets admitted to jewelry stores. Let he who would open the door throw the first stone.
Being racist is not in itself racism. Just deal with it black people.
Reasons
This kind of thing puzzles me. Somebody - many somebodies - decided it was a good thing to do. Somebody told other people to make it happen. But why? There's probably quite the interesting story there.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Policies
Can't believe Florida doesn't mandate more freedum than this.
(ht)
WINTER PARK, Fla. -
There's a policy in place to check all bags and purse for guns at Winter Park Regal at the Village movie theater, but somehow a loaded gun ended up in the men's bathroom Sunday night.
(ht)
Doing It Halperin Style
Grading the debate:
Jim Webb
Style: A+ Substance: A- Overall: C
Hillary Clinton
Style: F Substance: F Overall: D+
Lincoln Chafee
Style: F Substance: C+ Overall: A-
Martin O'Malley
Style: A- Substance: B+ Overall: D
Bernie Sanders
Style: F Substance: F Overall: F
What you expect me to write this stuff after the debate? That's cocktail hour, suckers.
Jim Webb
Style: A+ Substance: A- Overall: C
Hillary Clinton
Style: F Substance: F Overall: D+
Lincoln Chafee
Style: F Substance: C+ Overall: A-
Martin O'Malley
Style: A- Substance: B+ Overall: D
Bernie Sanders
Style: F Substance: F Overall: F
What you expect me to write this stuff after the debate? That's cocktail hour, suckers.
Fall Fundraisingstravaganza Day The Final!
Begging bowl goes away tomorrow. You can always give me a bit of Jeff Bezos's money by clicking on one of the Amazon links before making a purchase from them that you were going to make anyway. Thanks for all the support!
For Some Reason I Keep Hearing The Benny Hill Theme Song
I'm starting to suspect that the only strategy we have in Syria is to give weapons to random people and see what happens.
Just starting to suspect that.
Just starting to suspect that.
Paul Ryan, Communist
Hilarious.
Now, as he agonizes over whether to answer the appeal of his colleagues to become their next speaker, the far right is trotting out a fresh concern: Mr. Ryan is too far left.
He is being criticized on issues ranging from a 2008 vote to bail out large banks to his longstanding interest in immigration reform to his work on a bipartisan budget measure. On Sunday night, the Drudge Report — a prime driver of conservative commentary — dedicated separate headlines to bashing Mr. Ryan on policy positions.
Haven't We Been Here Before
Duck-n-cover drills will make their return next.
We don't know who our team is, but by Jeebus they'd better win!
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Insurgent commanders say that since Russia began air attacks in support of the Syrian government, they are receiving for the first time bountiful supplies of powerful American-made antitank missiles.
With the enhanced insurgent firepower and with Russia steadily raising the number of airstrikes against the government’s opponents, the Syrian conflict is edging closer to an all-out proxy war between the United States and Russia.
We don't know who our team is, but by Jeebus they'd better win!
Morning Thread
I hear tell there is going to be a debate tonight. I might turn on CNN for the first time in years.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Nobody Could Have Predicted
One of our local newspapers told us we should all shutupShutupShutUpSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP and let Saint Hite do his job WITHOUT CRITICISM because he knows what he's doing despite all evidence to the contrary. I've never managed to figure out how many people on the editorial boards of our two dailies actually live in the city, but few claim to in their bios. But, hey, it's working!!!
As that last paragraph clearly says, they weren't supposed to having "lagging performance" to begin with, and now they can't even meet their Mulligan over a month later.
Clearly what's needed is bigger bonuses for the executives of Source4Teachers. That will provide the necessary motivation. By 2024 they'll meet their new promise of finding subs for 24% of classes.
The company hired to place substitute teachers in Philadelphia was supposed to improve its lagging performance and fill half of all daily vacancies by Friday.
But Source4Teachers fell short, again, finding educators for just 19 percent of classrooms missing their teachers Friday. The day before: 22 percent.
The company has never come close to the 75 percent it promised the Philadelphia School District by the first day of classes when it signed its $34 million contract.
As that last paragraph clearly says, they weren't supposed to having "lagging performance" to begin with, and now they can't even meet their Mulligan over a month later.
Clearly what's needed is bigger bonuses for the executives of Source4Teachers. That will provide the necessary motivation. By 2024 they'll meet their new promise of finding subs for 24% of classes.
Speaker Fifthbranch
I suppose it would help to answer one question: just how much does Dick Cheney want to see the world burn?
Bullets From Heaven
This will solve everything.
"The good guys with guns" idea goes global, though there, as here, it's kinda hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Usually the bad guys are the ones with the guns, but...
(CNN)U.S. military cargo planes gave 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups overnight in northern Syria, using an air drop of 112 pallets as the first step in the Obama Administration's urgent effort to find new ways to support those groups.
Details of the air mission over Syria were confirmed by a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly because the details have not yet been formally announced.
"The good guys with guns" idea goes global, though there, as here, it's kinda hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Usually the bad guys are the ones with the guns, but...
Fall Fundraisingstravaganza Day The..Um..6th?
Was busy over the weekend so kinda forgot about days 4 and 5, but thanks to all who contributed anyway.
Staring directly into the camera: Thank you for your support.
Staring directly into the camera: Thank you for your support.
We Have To Arm Somebody
Aren't there any other ideas for spreading peeance and freeance? Giving more people the ability to kill people doesn't seem to have worked too well in the past ohjesusfuckingchrist twelve years.
Nonpolitical! This is an excellent idea, and I hope to subscribe to their newsletter when it is published by NoLabels.
A politically independent army. Now there's any idea that has been tried with great success many times around the world!
Okay, I get that you don't want the army to effectively be an arm of a single political party, but someone other than the generals needs to be in charge of the army. And as is the case with NoLabels, such desires just mean something like "an army which would implement my nonpartisan nonpolitical nonparty nonideological agenda, not the agenda of those nasty partisan political party ideologues."
If American policy wants to be truly effective, it should do more than just give a few weapons and limited training. Instead, the United States must help Kurdistan to organize, train and equip a nonpolitical Kurdish army. The United States can do this by greatly increasing its support to the Ministry of Pesh Merga Affairs’ program dedicated to building nonpartisan units. The program requires that new recruits join the nonpolitical units as individuals, not party members. The ministry has managed to raise one nonparty brigade, and needs additional support to increase the number of units.
The United States can turn these nonparty brigades into the nucleus of a new Kurdish army by providing the necessary weapons and training to make them effective, which will in turn encourage further recruitment. An American-assisted Kurdish army could make Kurdistan more stable by depriving politicians of control over military units. And a politically independent army reduces the risk of the K.D.P. and P.U.K. turning their guns against each other again. Furthermore, American involvement in the Kurdish army would keep the Kurds focused on the Islamic State rather than any domestic agenda.
Nonpolitical! This is an excellent idea, and I hope to subscribe to their newsletter when it is published by NoLabels.
A politically independent army. Now there's any idea that has been tried with great success many times around the world!
Okay, I get that you don't want the army to effectively be an arm of a single political party, but someone other than the generals needs to be in charge of the army. And as is the case with NoLabels, such desires just mean something like "an army which would implement my nonpartisan nonpolitical nonparty nonideological agenda, not the agenda of those nasty partisan political party ideologues."
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Oh Wait What's Government For Again
I find a bit "hilarious" that we seem to have even forgotten that building and fixing the damn roads is part of their job.
The Great Game
Everybody knows the classifcation system is ridiculous, that a zillion people have security clearances, and that there isn't any way for people to do their jobs while keeping the information walled off from reality. Also, too, anyone working too closely with people from the "wrong" countries, which supposedly are also the important countries to work with, is going to be under suspicion. And, then, there is of course complete inconsistency with how people are treated.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Good Luck With That
I suspect that Seattle Tunnel Partners has better lawyers than the state does.
Washington state is suing its Highway 99 tunnel contractors — but for the sake of cooperation during construction, asks local courts not to hear the case until the delayed four-lane tunnel from Sodo to South Lake Union is done.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says it filed the lawsuit Friday to preserve its future rights to collect from contracting team Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP).
The five-page complaint alleges STP “has failed to fulfill its obligations” under its $1.35 billion contract with the state.
Morning Thread
With just 40 members holding the House and the Government hostage, it seems like Democracy isn't working the way it should.
Friday, October 09, 2015
We Hate The Women We Love
I suppose I went through a misogyny/misandry phase once in my life. Hey, we all have our bad moments. But I recognized it for what it was. I knew the problem was me, not other people. Other people - strangers - don't owe you anything. If you want to have other people in your life instead of being a recluse, a perfectly respectable option, you gotta figure out what you bring to the table. The internet has provided a support group for awkward men who can't get dates, telling them that it's them, not you. No, really, it's you. None of us are perfect, but none of us have an obligation to be perfect to random strangers. No one can transform themselves into [insert sexy charmy hottie name here] overnight, but we can call improve. Take a step. Also, too, don't kill people.
Wanker of the Day
I mostly stopped doing the "wanker of the day" because too often it seemed to trivialize things. Candidates for that prestigious prize generally deserve worse, and thus "worst humans" was born.
Still it's probably an appropriate award for David Cameron.
Still it's probably an appropriate award for David Cameron.
You can understand why Cameron believed this – because Jeremy Corbyn said it was a tragedy Bin Laden wasn’t put on trial, and then said, “The attack on the World Trade Centre was a tragedy.” And when you read between the lines of that sentence, it obviously means “the attack on the World Trade Centre wasn’t a tragedy in the slightest”.
This is a marvellous technique, to pretend your opponent said the complete opposite of what they actually said, and then get angry about the words they didn’t say. Corbyn could retaliate now by saying, “The Prime Minister said the Battle of the Somme was a bloody good giggle. Well, it’s not so funny if your great-grandad was run over by a tank. He also said nothing makes him laugh so much as gangland knife crime. But I for one will never shank anyone.”
Good At One Thing
I've known people like this, though they usually don't decide to run for president. They go through life, doing their thing, and remain blissfully unaware of basically everything else.
If only those silly Jews were packing!
Aside from the general offensiveness of invoking the holocaust in this way, no a few rifles and pistols are not any protection against state tyranny. The state always has more and bigger guns.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked him: “Just clarify, if there had been no gun control laws in Europe at that time, would six million Jews have been slaughtered?”
Carson replied: “I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed … I’m telling you that there is a reason that these dictatorial people take the guns first.”
If only those silly Jews were packing!
Aside from the general offensiveness of invoking the holocaust in this way, no a few rifles and pistols are not any protection against state tyranny. The state always has more and bigger guns.
Fall Fundraising Funstravaganza Day The Third!
Do you like movies about gladiators? This blog is not a movie about gladiators. But if you like it anyway, consider a wee bit of support if you can afford it!
Vote Atrios
Hilarious.
Republicans may be forced to solicit Democratic help to break their Speaker stalemate, Rep. Charlie Dent (R) said Thursday.
The Pennsylvania centrist, who often serves as a mouthpiece for outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), said there is only a small handful of Republicans who can win 218 GOP votes to fill Boehner's shoes. The trouble is, none of them wants the job.
“We may need a bipartisan coalition to elect our next Speaker,” Dent told reporters after Thursday's closed-door GOP meeting. “That's a very real possibility right now, and I think anybody who's honest about this knows it. They may not want to talk about it, but they know it.”
But They Were So Moderate And So Rebellious
All they needed was more death machines and some quiet Americans to tell them how to use them.
LONDON — The Obama administration has ended the Pentagon’s $500 million program to train and equip Syrian rebels, administration officials said on Friday, in an acknowledgment that the beleaguered program had failed to produce any kind of ground combat forces capable of taking on the Islamic State in Syria.
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Contracts
Could someone in Philly step up and sue the hell out of the school district pro bono for these people?
Pretty sure Fernando Gallard's salary offer was a mistake, too. Will be so sad when they claw it back.
Pretty sure Fernando Gallard's salary offer was a mistake, too. Will be so sad when they claw it back.
Be Crazy But Shhh Don't Talk About The Crazy
It does seem like Republicans are in a really weird moment that the #bothsidesdoit crowd will never admit. They have to amp up the crazy, but they can't admit that what they're doing is actually crazy. It's like they have to make clear they're burying their children alive in the basement, without actually saying out loud they're burying their children alive in the basement.
Hard to walk on that balance beam. Slippery.
Hard to walk on that balance beam. Slippery.
Fall Fundraising Fallstravaganza Day The Second!
Could we be having more fun? I think not! This is the most fun!
Thanks to all who have contributed! And thanks also to all who read this sucky site. We do have so much fun!
Thanks to all who have contributed! And thanks also to all who read this sucky site. We do have so much fun!
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Rescue thread
David Cameron is an unspeakable monster.
Musical interlude
The Kinsey Sicks present: "Get A Gun".
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy
As always happens after a mass killing, my facebook feed (yes, some of my friends are fucking assholes), is filled with people trying to make the point, in various ways, that guns don't kill people, people do. Okay, fine, yes, we all know that. But guns make it really easy! Whether it is accidental shootings because your typical gun owner is not your Platonic Responsible Gun Owner which all gun owners are until they kill someone, or people who leave their guns out for their kids to play with because responsible gun owners, or drunk people who do stupid shit because drunk people. So, yes, guns don't kill people! People do! Except, if they didn't have guns, maybe they wouldn't!
My response to this concept remains the same.
My response to this concept remains the same.
A couple of years after I left college, there was a deadly incident in my fraternity house (yes I was in a fraternity, yes it was a mostly good experience for me personally, yes Greek systems are probably generally bad). I didn't really know either of the people involved. Basically drunk guy comes home. Expects to find leftover sandwich in fridge. Sandwich not there. Pissed off, he pulls out a gun (guns and drunk frat boys are an excellent combination) and fires it at a target on the wall. Bullet goes through wall into bathroom, through next wall into next bedroom, into abdomen of guy in next room. Upon realizing he'd hit someone, the shooter promptly aimed gun at himself and committed suicide. Guy he shot ended up being ok (after major medical attention, of course).
Nobody would have been hurt or dead if not for the presence of a gun.
It's The Most Funstravaganza Time Of The Year!
Thanks to all who have contributed so far! As I always say, no need, no guilt. If your piggy bank isn't exactly full then reserve those quarters for the piggy bank. I have a wonderful job, though it is actually a lot more work than most people think. Jacking into the matrix most of the time is actually work. Sure it's the kind of work that's a hobby for many, but it's "work" in the sense that I can't really ever let it go. It's what I do. I've resisted putting up annoying ads for the most part, even though they're probably more lucrative. Still the best way to "give" money is to click on one of the amazon ads before you purchase stuff you were going to purchase anyway. A few less bucks for Jeff, a few more for me.
Something's Missing
Can't deny that automobile pollution is something that urban hellholes dwellers generally have to put up with. But "generally" isn't necessarily. Having spent some time recently in a city where the cars/person ratio is a bit lower than is typical, I can say that the absence in such a situation is noticeable. Boo VW. Your fraud has had a big quality of life and likely negative health impact on a lot of people.
And Justice For All
Starting to suspect that occasionally powerful people don't have to obey they same rules as the rest of us.
MPs, a lord chief justice the royal family and public school headmasters all intervened to stop a bishop being prosecuted for sexual abuse 22 year ago, the Old Bailey has heard.
Former bishop Peter Ball was facing jail on Wednesday after admitting last month the sexual abuse of 18 boys between 1977 and 1992 when he was bishop of Lewes.
Fall Fundraising Fallstravaganza!
If you appreciate what I do here consider giving a wee contribution. As always, this isn't charity money. If I "needed" money I would say so. Thankfully no unaffordable hospital bills at the moment. This is magazine subscription money, cocktail money, jeebus how much is your comcast bill I could use a bit of that money. No obligation, no guilt! Some of you have a few extra quarters sloshing around in your couch cushions and some of you don't. Pay the rent, feed yourself, feed the kids, and buy yourself a beer or two before you even consider sending a bit my way. But if you enjoy the sucky service I provide and do have a few extra couch quarters...
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But Our Bombs Are Smart!
They're like Mensa smart! So accidentally blowing up a hospital is unpossible!
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
When The Music Stops
Most of you hate my crappy music suggestions. Sometimes Krgthulu gives them their blessing and that works because he's a Very Serious Person (ikeed). The internet allows us to see/hear bands we never would have otherwise, though it doesn't necessarily provide them with any money. I'm always sad when bands I like just fade away, suddenly not updating their sites, not touring, and of course not releasing any new music. So much good music (to me! suck it, haters) just fades away.
As an old, I fade in and out of being receptive to new stuff. But when I like something I try to do my little part to promote it.
As an example, there was a band I once liked a lot (and still do!). They went away. I think one of their members is now a massage therapist or something similar. There is nothing wrong with that. I hope this person has a happy and lucrative life. But this band was awesome. They never got rich. They never will get rich. They had to get day jobs. I feel bad about that.
As an old, I fade in and out of being receptive to new stuff. But when I like something I try to do my little part to promote it.
As an example, there was a band I once liked a lot (and still do!). They went away. I think one of their members is now a massage therapist or something similar. There is nothing wrong with that. I hope this person has a happy and lucrative life. But this band was awesome. They never got rich. They never will get rich. They had to get day jobs. I feel bad about that.
The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Is Improved
I don't have kids so I know nothing about this stuff, but it is a total mystery to me why people who have them or have had them (and therefore have the knowledge about such things that I lack) want to put children in the care of underpaid miserable people. And it isn't just teachers. I suggest you "overpay" your nanny and babysitters too, because obvious.
But I'm not a parent, so I just can't understand.
But I'm not a parent, so I just can't understand.
Usually Happy To Be Wrong
But I still stand by my basic belief that self-driving cars will be good but not good enough in my lifetime. Cruise control+++ is interesting, but not revolutionary.
Doesn't really matter what I think, at least until public policy (and expenditures) become an issue.
Doesn't really matter what I think, at least until public policy (and expenditures) become an issue.
What You Expect Us To Have Any Idea Who We're Bombing And Why?
Really, libturds, you expect too much from the Pentagon.
The new details of the attack, and the continuing dispute over what exactly happened, heightened the controversy over the strike. In the two days since the incident, U.S. officials have struggled to explain how a U.S. aircraft wound up attacking a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders. On Monday, the medical humanitarian group said the United States was squarely responsible.
“The reality is the U.S. dropped those bombs,” Doctors Without Borders’ general director Christopher Stokes said in a statement. “With such constant discrepancies in the U.S. and Afghan accounts of what happened, the need for a full transparent independent investigation is ever more critical.”
Eat Your Own Shit, Lindsey
I hate these people.
Washington (CNN)Sen. Lindsey Graham is asking for federal aid for his home state of South Carolina as it battles raging floods, but he voted to oppose similar help for New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2013.
"Let's just get through this thing, and whatever it costs, it costs," Graham told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" on Monday of the devastating floods in his home state.
Graham was among the Republican senators who opposed a federal aid package in January 2013 to assist states hit by Hurricane Sandy, but now he doesn't remember why.
"I'm all for helping the people in New Jersey. I don't really remember me voting that way," Graham said.
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