Saturday, February 23, 2013
Vatican Coverage
It'll be interesting to see how much coverage this gets. If true, or close to true, it's, you know, a big fucking deal for all kinds of reasons. I don't personally care much about the corruption stuff. Big corrupt institution, blah blah blah. Not so surprising. It isn't exactly surprising that there are some non-celibate gay priests (and non-celibate priests, period). But if the basic allegations are correct, this deserves more than just the tiptoeing around it that is the US media's normal approach to the pope and the Vatican. Whatever else the church gets up to, being anti-gay has been pretty high up on the agenda lately.
Saturday Crass Commercialism
Oscars edition!
Personally didn't see many movies this year. There are movie theaters in the urban hellhole, but they're all just a little bit inconvenient to get to for some reason. Les Miserables was the only best picture nominee I saw.
All the kids seem to think Argo will win.
Personally didn't see many movies this year. There are movie theaters in the urban hellhole, but they're all just a little bit inconvenient to get to for some reason. Les Miserables was the only best picture nominee I saw.
All the kids seem to think Argo will win.
Contractionary Policy Is Contractionary
The loss of welfare inflicted on their populations by those who rule Europe and the US is tremendous, and completely counterproductive given the stated goals of those rulers. The way to reduce deficits is to increase economic growth. The way to encourage growth, when below full employment, is to print free money and spend a lot of money. The actions of our Fed have been ineffective because they've relied on the banking channel even though quite obviously our financial sector is completely screwed up. My preferred policies would be free money for everyone combined with Fed-financed infrastructure spending. Free money freaks people out, but that's what "quantitive easing" means. Magic money creation! There's an opportunity for a free lunch and we left it on the table.
Even those who get there's a problem usually can't bring themselves to the obvious solutions.
There's no need for widespread economic misery. It isn't as bad here and in the UK as it is in Spain and Greece, which are just being destroyed, but it's much worse than it should be.
Even those who get there's a problem usually can't bring themselves to the obvious solutions.
Moody's recognises that Britain's economic travails stem from depressed growth, but its analysis seems incapable of progressing on from there. Taken as a whole, the agency is saying, with a straight face, that "Britain's attempts to cut its debt have harmed its attempts to cut its debt, and this could harm its attempts to cut its debt", and it sees nothing problematic with that.
There's no need for widespread economic misery. It isn't as bad here and in the UK as it is in Spain and Greece, which are just being destroyed, but it's much worse than it should be.
The Green Lantern Theory Of Economic Recovery
I do not miss that word "resolve."
Gideon:
Gideon:
Far from weakening our resolve to deliver our economic recovery plan, this decision redoubles it.
Austerity Bites
Often "austerity" and the "need" for budget cuts are just excuses to kicks the poors and olds and ram through whatever horrible agenda you wanted to ram through in the first place. But I think the simpleton Gideon Osborne really believes it. He likes kicking the olds and the poors too, but he'll nonetheless be proved fucking right.
Except he won't.
And for some reason Labour is unwilling to just say Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit, austerity bites, and we gotta step on the gas.
Except he won't.
And for some reason Labour is unwilling to just say Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit, austerity bites, and we gotta step on the gas.
Oops
Screenshot at 6:55. Yes I am awake.
Click to embiggen. Blogger's messing with their image processing system.
Click to embiggen. Blogger's messing with their image processing system.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Stark Reminder
I don't care what the ratings agencies think about anything, but if it's a stark reminder of anything it's a stark reminder that you're the stupidest fucking person on the face of the planet.
Needless to say, the plan to destroy the country will continue.
George Osborne says decision is 'stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country'
George Osborne has insisted Britain will not "run away" from its problems after Moody's downgraded the country's AAA credit rating.
The chancellor said the coalition was determined to stick by its plan for economic recovery after the rating was lowered by a notch to AA1.
Needless to say, the plan to destroy the country will continue.
Happy Hour
Echidne on Dr. Dominic Pedulla and why we should pay attention. I really don't think people pay enough attention to the fact that financial health, for women, is intrinsically associated with reproductive health. The two just can't be separated.
Austerity
We're currently debating how, not whether. I don't have a fancy economic model in front of me, but I don't think this barely recovered economy can take the hit.
Policy!
I get a bit excited when they actually decide to run on a set of policies, effectively nationalizing the House elections, in part because I think it actually works.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Solitary confinement is torture and we should end it.
Eastern State Penitentiary is worth a visit if you're ever in Philly. It's a museum now.
It was built with good intentions. A more humane prison, where prisoners could reflect on their crimes. And then all the prisoners would lose their minds.
Two centuries ago, solitary confinement was considered a humane reform, promoting reflection, repentance — penitence; hence penitentiaries — and rehabilitation. Quakerism influenced the design of Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary, which opened in 1829 with a regime of strict solitude. In 1842, Charles Dickens visited it:
“I hold this slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the brain, to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body: and because its ghastly signs and tokens are not so palpable to the eye and sense of touch as scars upon the flesh; because its wounds are not upon the surface, and it extorts few cries that human ears can hear; therefore I the more denounce it, as a secret punishment which slumbering humanity is not roused up to stay.”
Eastern State Penitentiary is worth a visit if you're ever in Philly. It's a museum now.
It was built with good intentions. A more humane prison, where prisoners could reflect on their crimes. And then all the prisoners would lose their minds.
Fortunately There's A Policy For That
I'm sure more austerity will fix this.
BRUSSELS — The European Commission delivered a bleak assessment Friday of Europe’s economic prospects, saying that growth would be just 0.1 percent in the 27-nation European Union in 2013 and that the 17-nation euro zone would shrink 0.3 percent over the same period.
Flu Day 4
I don't post that to complain. As illnesses go it hasn't been so bad. But it has come with serious fatigue, and it's hard to blog while napping.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Pretty Easy
I imagine it's pretty damn easy to spend $100 billion. Maybe Japan doesn't need any more roads and supertrains. Fine. Build hospitals and assisted living centers.
The Palin Era
It will be difficult to explain to future generations, assuming they aren't all under water.
Timing
People underestimate how much their timing, beyond their control, impacts their future career success.
And I'm not sure why there's all this talk about how everyone needs to go into science or engineering. Jobs ain't there, either.
And I'm not sure why there's all this talk about how everyone needs to go into science or engineering. Jobs ain't there, either.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow
The sun'll come out tomorrow
So you got to hang on till tomorrow, came what may!
Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow
You're always four years away...
So you got to hang on till tomorrow, came what may!
Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow
You're always four years away...
Evil Or Stupid
I suppose we'll never know the answer, but was leaving "creating jobs" or "improving economy" off of the list of options done deliberately or done because the people commissioning the poll are idiots.
Four Options
Of course people chose the option they think is most related to the economy.
"Give us some fucking jobs" was not one of the options.
"Give us some fucking jobs" was not one of the options.
Sick Days
I rarely (past performance is no guarantee of future returns) get sick, so I don't actually know how to behave if I do. But "lying on the couch" is presumably a better strategy than "staring at the computer" so more shitty blogging today. My mostly symptomless flu or whatever (fatigue, chills, mild stomach cramps) is adding more symptoms.
Just Stop
I'm sure slinging cappuccinos is preferable to some other similarly paid jobs, but don't glamorize it. People just don't have any goddamn jobs or money.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Easier Scam Than Ever
It'd never occurred to me that the rise of online courses would make the professional college athlete scam even easier.
And to be clear, the scammers are the university, the athletic department, and the team. The students are the ones being scammed. Sure a few will go pro and get some compensation then, but not most of them.
And to be clear, the scammers are the university, the athletic department, and the team. The students are the ones being scammed. Sure a few will go pro and get some compensation then, but not most of them.
Or Maybe Never?
As always, the pre-negotiation. If you want it to take 13 years (minimum) for people to become citizens, you announce 8, let Rubio demand 20, and then settle somewhere in the middle. Start with 13, and the right wing position is pushed to "never."
Getting It Wrong
It's hard to see how this planned dorm wouldn't improve all of the things the opposing residents say they care about. It would reduce the number of commuters. It would reduce the number of students housed in the surrounding neighborhood. Sure it wouldn't magically solve all traffic, noise, and parking problems, but it would be an improvement.
The Things That Matter
Apparently the things that matter are golfing with Tiger and whatever the McCain-Graham assignment desk hands down to the cool kids at Politico.
There's mass economic suffering in this country and no one cares. Sure there's always mass suffering in this country, and no one cares, but there's quite a bit more of it now.
There's mass economic suffering in this country and no one cares. Sure there's always mass suffering in this country, and no one cares, but there's quite a bit more of it now.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Trust Us, We're Experts. Yes, The Dog Too
Modern interpretations of
the Fourth Amendment have led to some very interesting decisions and
perhaps unexpected application of those decisions (recitation of
Miranda rights, search incident to arrest, "grabbable area." ) Then there are the "canine sniff" cases,
arising out of the increasing use of dogs to demonstrate probable
cause in order to conduct a search that would otherwise not be permitted. A frustrated police officer wishing to conduct a
search of a car, for example, can apply to a federal judge for a search warrant, or
call in a K-9 unit and the dog, if it "alerts," in essence, gives permission to
search. Surprising no one, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the practice.
In this case, the dog
had a history of false alerts with this defendant. This might seem to be a problem, but not to worry. Since he alerted, he must be right.
A well-trained drug-detection dog should alert to such odors; his response to them might appear a mistake, but in fact is not. See n. 2.
Note 2: ...when a detector dog responds and no drug or explosive is found, do not assume the dog has made an error.
By Culture of TruthFor that reason, evidence of a dog’s satisfactory performance in a certification or training program can itself provide sufficient reason to trust his alert. If a bona fide organization has certified a dog after testing his reliability in a controlled setting, a court can presume (subject to any conflicting evidence offered) that the dog’s alert provides probable cause to search.
Strike
Doing what they can.
(Reuters) - Greek workers walk off the job on Wednesday in a nationwide anti-austerity strike that will disrupt transport, shut public schools and tax offices and leave hospitals working with emergency staff.
Golfing With Tiger
No, being blocked from covering that is not a particularly valid reason to complain about lack of access.
How about standing up for whistleblowers and the reporters they leak to?
How about standing up for whistleblowers and the reporters they leak to?
Nothing To Say
No sleep and feeling crappy not conducive to quality blogging. Apologies for things being extra sucky over the last few days. I think I am going to attempt a nap, but I usually fail at those.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Rage Against The Machine
Watching a bit of Maddow's Iraq war doc on MSNBC. Not sure how long I'll last.
The enraging thing is that it was all transparent bullshit at the time. They gaslighted the nation.
The enraging thing is that it was all transparent bullshit at the time. They gaslighted the nation.
Where Are You From
I moved around a lot as a kid (Australia, Switzerland, several US states), so I never had any strong sense of having a "hometown." The facebook thingy keeps suggesting I add my "hometown" which is apparently a distinct place from where I live. Do most people have a sense of having a hometown?
Presidents' Day Crass Commercialism
Easiest way to support the blog is to click on an amazon link (below, right or left) before buying crap you were going to buy anyway.
I believe the traditional Presidents' Day celebration involves buying a mattress.
I believe the traditional Presidents' Day celebration involves buying a mattress.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Deadly Weapons
If I remember correctly, the first time I went driving with my newly acquired license (post-learner's permit) I just about bit it. Well, more likely, my passenger just about bit it. I probably would have been fine. Made a left without taking note of the oncoming traffic.
This isn't in any way an anti-car rant. Cars are useful things! But we do, I think, tend to brush aside the fact that cars are dangerous and lots of people die because of them.
This isn't in any way an anti-car rant. Cars are useful things! But we do, I think, tend to brush aside the fact that cars are dangerous and lots of people die because of them.
The Poorest Country In The World
I continue to be amazed at the general belief that the supposed greatest country in the world can't possibly afford any nice things for its people.
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