Mid-week crazies - 06 February 2008
Feb. 6th, 2008 11:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silveradeptStuff done. More stuff to do. Got to play around a little bit here and there, of course, but not a whole lot. And there’s always more work when we get finished with what we have now. Likely through Professor ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tscheese or Bureau Chief ldragoon, we picked up another reader. Hello to vornandmoggy, and we hope you enjoy the place. Feel free to dive in and comment.
Yesterday, while the voting was fast and furious, tornadoes were tearing through the southern United States, leaving wreckage and devastation in their path. The weather was mentioned on the shows looking after the political races, and from the sounds of things, it was a totally unexpected thing for the majority of the residents there. That said, it also sounds like the residents were calm and did not suffer many casualties or fatalities.
Mr. Bush is threatening to veto any bill that would deny retroactive immunity to telecoms. So a bill that’s probably being touted as essential to continued national security will be squashed because Mr. Bush is going to throw a tantrum that he doesn’t get it exactly his way? This sounds remarkably familiar to me. So Will Congress Vote "Yes" to more Bush Spying? Given their track record on standing up to him for anything else, my guess is that they will. And with the Wall Street Journal's editorial board trying to convince the populace that torture is necessary for good intelligence and the safety of the American populace and insisting that the intelligence community return to the shadows from which it operates, lest they produce another NIE that is damaging and political for all the world to see, there are at least some media outlets fully on board with continued violations of the law for the feeling that people are more secure now. At least now we know that some prisoners of the United States have been waterboarded. Officially, only three. Still too many.
Out in Iraq, when coalition troops leave, al-Qaeda moves in. Which says the local troops are unable or unwilling to maintain security. The surge may have been working, but it won’t last forever. If those supposed to fill the gaps can’t, well, then the surge didn’t work at all.
bradhicks does some analysis on the political elections that happened last night and determines that even in primaries and caucuses, even if you get yourself and three friends to vote for a candidate, your'e helping to shape an election. Three people or so in each district of the close states ended up swinging the primaries in one direction or another.
Speaking of the candidates, although we probably have a good idea about the policies that would result by now, First Freedom First has ten questions to ask each of the political candidates regarding whether they use science, law, and the Constitution or religion that the Constitution and science should come into line with as their guiding principle for government.
And then, some various bits of dirt-tossing, now that the race is truly on in earnest. Senator Obama says that the GOP will be able to sling endless mud if Senator Clinton is nominated. Meanwhile, Both campaigns are trying to paint themselves as the hip underdogs, and the Washington Post says Democrats are divided on their candidate according to racial lines.
In Chicago, a rather impressive, apparently accidental, disenfranchisement happened when voters were told that their pens contained "invisible ink", when in reality, the pens contained no ink at all, and the ballot-counting machines didn't count their vote.
In something that’s actually useful and relevant to the issues, Mythbusting Canadian Health Care, Part I - clearing up misconceptions about levels of service, how much things cost, and whether or not Canadians have better insurance than Americans. (They do.)
Heath Ledger's death has been ruled an accidental overdose. It’s still sad that someone’s life is so stressful and driven to the point where they can overdose from interactions of a lot of drugs that they take just to function.
The Department of Strange reminds us of something we’ve linked to before - a brassiere that doubles as an alcohol storage unit. First, the girl wearing it has a bigger chest when you’re sober, and after drinking ensues, the chest size may get smaller, but it will probably be perceived as about the same in terms of attractiveness. Could be a really useful tool for sneaking drinks in, but you have to find the right woman to wear it.
Further strange is a posting on the TSA's blog apologizing for local offices setting up new draconian gadget measures. This was apparently independent actions. That said, the government apologizing? The TSA apologizing? I don’t know - this almost smells like someone hacked the TSA, rather than an actual apology. Something absolutely true, however, is the fallout over a sign that read "Gun Permits/Sex Offender Registration". While both things had to be done with the same government official, the sheriff, the possibility of being rumored to be a sex offender when simply registering one’s weapon were a bit too much for most of the residents.
Strangest, yet most awesome, pictures of an abandoned Soviet underground submarine base. Okay, it’s really the wormhole in Hollywood, but we had you for a minute there, right?
Check your comics pages around to see a comic protest about the lack of racial minorities as principal characters in comic strips. The comics page could be a great seller of newspapers if it were permitted to expand into a serious thing, rather than “the funnies” tucked away in the back with the crossword and the classifieds. And thus, editors could choose many good comics to run, and things might improve for them. If nothing else, having lots of good funnies might draw younger readers to the newspapers again.
Brett Stephens, in the Wall Street Journal, says, What, me, worry? with regard to the perception that American influence and economic strength is waning compared to other regions of the world. If the next President does some pretty good work in improving relations and in bringing the country back underneath the budget and running surpluses, then there may not be much reason to worry. Otherwise, I’d still wonder about whether America’s going to take a back seat to another power like China or the EU for a while.
Our bureau chief for Unabashed Feminism,ldragoon, and her cohort provide us with great material for thought and speech. First, it looks like the South Dakota legislature is not as unilaterally against birth control as first presented - the bill that would shield pharmacists from dispensing still goes to the full Senate, but on a very hotly contested 4-3 vote.
After that, another in the chronicles of the Nice Guy(TM). Someone smite me if I ever behave in the manner to which this Nice Guy does.
Here’s a neat sequence of logic - banning birth control and promoting abstinence-only means a baby boom. So more babies. However, banning abortion leads to more deaths of women and babies. And furthermore, banning birth control also harms women, babies, families, and doctors. There’s the examples of what life is like without the ability to choose to plan a family and the ability to end a pregnancy.
As a response to yesterday’s 13 year-old girl who thinks women shouldn’t be able to rule or can’t rule,methodicmadness produces Current and previous female world leaders. It can be done. Women can rule, and rule well.
Our temperature-raising segment,cr0wgrrl was exposed to the same sort of attitude behind the Missouri bill that would prohibit overweight people from dining in restaurant. Only this time, a person on the street, not knowing her from Eve, told her squarely to go on a diet. Ladies and gentlemen, even though it may look to the judgmental eye that every obese person is that way because of a lack of will, of overconsumption of unhealthy, fattening food, and a lack of exercise, this is not the case. Genetic factors apply. Psychological factors apply. To judge that someone simply needs to “go on a diet” and that all their weight problems will be solved is gross oversimplification. We’re not telling all the naturally thin people that they need to bulk up - they’re being put on magazine covers and used as examples for girls who think starving themselves is the only way to be pretty. I agree with cr0wgrrl - if anyone should say such an insensitive thing, they shouldn’t be surprised if they get clocked or followed into a dark alley and beaten soundly.
Last for tonight, lest one think that the Nintendo Wii’s components are there merely for enjoyment, a couple projects using a Bluetooth-connected Wiimote to track fingers or create interactive whiteboards. Neat to see technology being repurposed. And yes, as I recall, you can play Half-Life 2 with a Wiimote. Oh, and because Easter will be arriving in 40 days or so, here's what happens when heat sources get to make contact with cute chocolate rabbits.
So, I’m going to bed, and hoping that I get the effects of a caffeine blitz to clear my passages without actually ingesting any caffeine.
tscheese or Bureau Chief ldragoon, we picked up another reader. Hello to vornandmoggy, and we hope you enjoy the place. Feel free to dive in and comment.Yesterday, while the voting was fast and furious, tornadoes were tearing through the southern United States, leaving wreckage and devastation in their path. The weather was mentioned on the shows looking after the political races, and from the sounds of things, it was a totally unexpected thing for the majority of the residents there. That said, it also sounds like the residents were calm and did not suffer many casualties or fatalities.
Mr. Bush is threatening to veto any bill that would deny retroactive immunity to telecoms. So a bill that’s probably being touted as essential to continued national security will be squashed because Mr. Bush is going to throw a tantrum that he doesn’t get it exactly his way? This sounds remarkably familiar to me. So Will Congress Vote "Yes" to more Bush Spying? Given their track record on standing up to him for anything else, my guess is that they will. And with the Wall Street Journal's editorial board trying to convince the populace that torture is necessary for good intelligence and the safety of the American populace and insisting that the intelligence community return to the shadows from which it operates, lest they produce another NIE that is damaging and political for all the world to see, there are at least some media outlets fully on board with continued violations of the law for the feeling that people are more secure now. At least now we know that some prisoners of the United States have been waterboarded. Officially, only three. Still too many.
Out in Iraq, when coalition troops leave, al-Qaeda moves in. Which says the local troops are unable or unwilling to maintain security. The surge may have been working, but it won’t last forever. If those supposed to fill the gaps can’t, well, then the surge didn’t work at all.
bradhicks does some analysis on the political elections that happened last night and determines that even in primaries and caucuses, even if you get yourself and three friends to vote for a candidate, your'e helping to shape an election. Three people or so in each district of the close states ended up swinging the primaries in one direction or another.Speaking of the candidates, although we probably have a good idea about the policies that would result by now, First Freedom First has ten questions to ask each of the political candidates regarding whether they use science, law, and the Constitution or religion that the Constitution and science should come into line with as their guiding principle for government.
And then, some various bits of dirt-tossing, now that the race is truly on in earnest. Senator Obama says that the GOP will be able to sling endless mud if Senator Clinton is nominated. Meanwhile, Both campaigns are trying to paint themselves as the hip underdogs, and the Washington Post says Democrats are divided on their candidate according to racial lines.
In Chicago, a rather impressive, apparently accidental, disenfranchisement happened when voters were told that their pens contained "invisible ink", when in reality, the pens contained no ink at all, and the ballot-counting machines didn't count their vote.
In something that’s actually useful and relevant to the issues, Mythbusting Canadian Health Care, Part I - clearing up misconceptions about levels of service, how much things cost, and whether or not Canadians have better insurance than Americans. (They do.)
Heath Ledger's death has been ruled an accidental overdose. It’s still sad that someone’s life is so stressful and driven to the point where they can overdose from interactions of a lot of drugs that they take just to function.
The Department of Strange reminds us of something we’ve linked to before - a brassiere that doubles as an alcohol storage unit. First, the girl wearing it has a bigger chest when you’re sober, and after drinking ensues, the chest size may get smaller, but it will probably be perceived as about the same in terms of attractiveness. Could be a really useful tool for sneaking drinks in, but you have to find the right woman to wear it.
Further strange is a posting on the TSA's blog apologizing for local offices setting up new draconian gadget measures. This was apparently independent actions. That said, the government apologizing? The TSA apologizing? I don’t know - this almost smells like someone hacked the TSA, rather than an actual apology. Something absolutely true, however, is the fallout over a sign that read "Gun Permits/Sex Offender Registration". While both things had to be done with the same government official, the sheriff, the possibility of being rumored to be a sex offender when simply registering one’s weapon were a bit too much for most of the residents.
Strangest, yet most awesome, pictures of an abandoned Soviet underground submarine base. Okay, it’s really the wormhole in Hollywood, but we had you for a minute there, right?
Check your comics pages around to see a comic protest about the lack of racial minorities as principal characters in comic strips. The comics page could be a great seller of newspapers if it were permitted to expand into a serious thing, rather than “the funnies” tucked away in the back with the crossword and the classifieds. And thus, editors could choose many good comics to run, and things might improve for them. If nothing else, having lots of good funnies might draw younger readers to the newspapers again.
Brett Stephens, in the Wall Street Journal, says, What, me, worry? with regard to the perception that American influence and economic strength is waning compared to other regions of the world. If the next President does some pretty good work in improving relations and in bringing the country back underneath the budget and running surpluses, then there may not be much reason to worry. Otherwise, I’d still wonder about whether America’s going to take a back seat to another power like China or the EU for a while.
Our bureau chief for Unabashed Feminism,
ldragoon, and her cohort provide us with great material for thought and speech. First, it looks like the South Dakota legislature is not as unilaterally against birth control as first presented - the bill that would shield pharmacists from dispensing still goes to the full Senate, but on a very hotly contested 4-3 vote.After that, another in the chronicles of the Nice Guy(TM). Someone smite me if I ever behave in the manner to which this Nice Guy does.
Here’s a neat sequence of logic - banning birth control and promoting abstinence-only means a baby boom. So more babies. However, banning abortion leads to more deaths of women and babies. And furthermore, banning birth control also harms women, babies, families, and doctors. There’s the examples of what life is like without the ability to choose to plan a family and the ability to end a pregnancy.
As a response to yesterday’s 13 year-old girl who thinks women shouldn’t be able to rule or can’t rule,
methodicmadness produces Current and previous female world leaders. It can be done. Women can rule, and rule well. Our temperature-raising segment,
cr0wgrrl was exposed to the same sort of attitude behind the Missouri bill that would prohibit overweight people from dining in restaurant. Only this time, a person on the street, not knowing her from Eve, told her squarely to go on a diet. Ladies and gentlemen, even though it may look to the judgmental eye that every obese person is that way because of a lack of will, of overconsumption of unhealthy, fattening food, and a lack of exercise, this is not the case. Genetic factors apply. Psychological factors apply. To judge that someone simply needs to “go on a diet” and that all their weight problems will be solved is gross oversimplification. We’re not telling all the naturally thin people that they need to bulk up - they’re being put on magazine covers and used as examples for girls who think starving themselves is the only way to be pretty. I agree with cr0wgrrl - if anyone should say such an insensitive thing, they shouldn’t be surprised if they get clocked or followed into a dark alley and beaten soundly.Last for tonight, lest one think that the Nintendo Wii’s components are there merely for enjoyment, a couple projects using a Bluetooth-connected Wiimote to track fingers or create interactive whiteboards. Neat to see technology being repurposed. And yes, as I recall, you can play Half-Life 2 with a Wiimote. Oh, and because Easter will be arriving in 40 days or so, here's what happens when heat sources get to make contact with cute chocolate rabbits.
So, I’m going to bed, and hoping that I get the effects of a caffeine blitz to clear my passages without actually ingesting any caffeine.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 03:14 pm (UTC)What is waterboarding?
It's interesting that Obama says if Clinton wins there will be lots of mudslinging, and seems to think that Clinton isn't aware of this. I read an article where Clinton admitted that there will be mudslinging and says Obama isn't prepared to handle the type of mudslinging the republicans will do if he wins the nomination because of his lack of experience. I still like the idea of C/O or O/C, but I don't think either of them would be willing to play second fiddle.
And now I just feel bad for chocolate bunnies.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-07 05:44 pm (UTC)