Rock harder.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Games People Play
I admit I get a bit confused about all of the election prediction action that happens a few days before an election. I mean, it can be a fun game I guess, but it's just a game. A month or two out an educated guess (yes, polls are most of the information you need but you can add a bit more information to the polls) can be useful for allocating resources, changing campaign strategies, etc..., but I'm really not gonna care on Wednesday morning which political prognosticator guessed correctly.
So Much Stupid
I feel bad for the singer who is just a kid but all the adults involved here really need to stop sucking on the lead paint chips.
...more
...more
The Math
Of course neighbors are concerned about parking. I just wish they could look at the empty lot and use their powers of spatial reasoning to realize that...the only way to put parking on the lot is to turn it into a parking lot.
Most people who worry about parking don't have their own off street parking. That's why they worry about it.
But, hey, empty lot.
Most people who worry about parking don't have their own off street parking. That's why they worry about it.
But, hey, empty lot.
The Evidence Is Not In
The most maddening thing about "school reformers" is that they insist that they're all about the evidence, and paying their patrons lots of money for the evidence, but then it's all LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU WHAT EVIDENCE.
Ok the most maddening thing actually is that a bunch of grifters are destroying public education. I've noticed a lot of eventheliberals have just sort of shut up about the whole thing lately.
Ok the most maddening thing actually is that a bunch of grifters are destroying public education. I've noticed a lot of eventheliberals have just sort of shut up about the whole thing lately.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Um, David?
The fact that people think you're an asshole and treat you accordingly is not actually more important than, say, the widespread discrimination against African-Americans in our criminal justice system.
...oh the horror....
...oh the horror....
Oh, Orange County
Drought isn't going to empty your fake lake.
Tampering with the lake's water can be a touchy subject for some longtime association members, who chafed at the suggestion of reducing or changing the lake levels.
"We love coming down here where there aren't too many people," said Carlos Lopez, an association member whose 4-year-old daughter, Dayleen, splashed in the water. "She's a fish. I'd have to take her down to the beach, and that's a pain."
Wakey, Wakey
Gee, you guys can't catch a break. Atrios tells you to go the fuck to sleep and I tell you to wake up.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
How To Deal With A Serial Killer
Obviously we couldn't arrest, prosecute, and imprison a serial killer, especially if he promised not to kill again, so I guess we're out of options?
Maybe if we make them pinky-swear this time?
A mixture of new issues and lingering problems could violate earlier settlements that imposed reforms and fines on the banks but stopped short of criminal charges, according to lawyers briefed on the cases. Prosecutors are exploring whether to strengthen the earlier deals, the lawyers said, or scrap them altogether and force the banks to plead guilty to a crime.
That effort, unfolding separately from a number of well-known investigations into Wall Street, has ensnared several giant banks and consulting firms that until now were thought to be in the clear.
Maybe if we make them pinky-swear this time?
Sleep, Disrupted
One of those nights for various reasons, so I just woke up. Well, I woke up at 3, 4, 5, and 6, too. You get the idea.
Shorter Reverse Frank Bruni
If only there was some way to attract smart, talented, and dedicated people to work in this profession which we think is the most important thing in the world because after all we love our children.
hint: pay them and give them job security and stop demonizing them in national newspapers for the failures of the highly paid people who are supposed to be in charge of the system
hint: pay them and give them job security and stop demonizing them in national newspapers for the failures of the highly paid people who are supposed to be in charge of the system
Wakey, Wakey
I had occasion yesterday to deal with a highly competent and knowledgeable person. It was such a surprise.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Just Toss Them
Even though we pay attention to assholes all day, I'm still surprised at just how horrible people are.
Because It Hasn't Been Said Enough
To the extent that there's an Ebola freakout it's because it comes from Africa and black people live there and it's really scary.
Why Can't We Have Nice Things
This is the first Crossrail project through London. This might be the second. They both aren't really new train routes, more like express trains which would stop at existing stations (close enough, anyway). The tube is too full. They need more capacity.
Horrible People
I know this rhetoric is aimed at their fans, and isn't actually intended to convince any African-Americans to get "off the plantation," but really, just stop. It's horrible.
Strange People
I'm quite aware that the things that piss me off won't necessarily piss off others, that some of my preferred policy positions aren't all that popular (some are!). The Republican belief that insufficient worship of Our Galtian Overlords is going to anger voters is truly bizarre. What color is the sky in their world?
We Don't Spy On Americans
Well then.
WASHINGTON — In a rare public accounting of its mass surveillance program, the United States Postal Service reported that it approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor the mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Gotta Get On With The Show
The real story of this election cycle is that Dems are competitive in Senate races in places where they shouldn't really be competitive. Now that doesn't mean they'll win enough of those to hold the Senate - it's a shitty map for Dems this year - but "Mitch McConnell might lose" is the real story, not "Grimes will probably lose nyuk nyuk disqualified."
Rare Moment Of Sanity
Dodged privatization.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia City Council president Darrell Clarke today notified the Nutter administration that it is not endorsing the sale of the Philadelphia Gas Works to a private owner, effectively killing the deal.
Pron'd
It's arguable whether looking at porn on your "private" work computer in your office is a major offense (certainly not smart, but not necessarily that big of a deal), but the whole passing around on email thing certainly creates an image of a boys club hostile work environment.
Seamus gained public status due to being an "Eagles Court" judge back when the stadium had its own court to deal with fan problems.
Seamus McCaffery, a former Philadelphia police officer elected in 2007 to the state's highest court in 2007, is retiring today, one week after four of his fellow justices voted to suspend him from the bench.
Seamus gained public status due to being an "Eagles Court" judge back when the stadium had its own court to deal with fan problems.
What To Do About Oxford Street
A big problem is that numerous bus lines run down it, and I don't think there's a perfect way to redirect them. Sure it's served well by the tube and soon Crossrail, but those buses head off elsewhere.
Commissions
I mostly see ads for candidates I couldn't possibly vote for, unless ACORN forces me to commit voter fraud. Yes Philly is a big media market, but I know Comcast allows for hyperlocal advertising to cable customers. I assume they don't control infinite slots on infinite channels, but they do at least control some slots on some sports channels, those shows that people actually still watch live and don't just fast forward through.
I keep asking this question and never quite get a satisfactory answer. Why do I see so many ads for people in Jersey and the burbs? Maybe ad buyers know what they're doing. I don't know.
I keep asking this question and never quite get a satisfactory answer. Why do I see so many ads for people in Jersey and the burbs? Maybe ad buyers know what they're doing. I don't know.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Who Needs Toilets And Showers?
I claim no expertise about when medical quarantine is necessary, but if it's a thing we do we'd better construct humane and appropriate facilities for it.
There's no way we're going to survive the zombie apocalypse.
There's no way we're going to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Morning Thread
I haven't watched the Sunday morning gabfests in years. Does anyone document the atrocities anymore?
Saturday, October 25, 2014
We Love America So Much We Need To Destroy It
We're all welcome to our illusions and delusions, but it is the case that our mainstream Both Sides press generally lets The Right get away with this contradiction in ways they don't let The Left get away with, because The Right are, by definition, patriotic even when they're advocating treason and secession.
Yes occasionally some hippies advocate for the secession of Northern Californiandia or whatever, but it really isn't a thing.
Yes occasionally some hippies advocate for the secession of Northern Californiandia or whatever, but it really isn't a thing.
Democrats Against Democrats
To the extent that I have been paying attention, I've seen a bit too much of that in campaigns. I've always seen this as a Prisoner's Dilemma-type problem. Yes in purple-reddish places it might make sense for individual candidates to play the mavericky above partisan politics game, but when too many people do it the brand gets tarnished. Election prospects would be better overall if everyone was a proud Democrat, and yet...
Election Soon
I admit I haven't paid much attention to the polls, etc... this election cycle. Not that making election forecasts or similar was ever the focus on this blog, but I usually pay enough attention to have a reasonable mental map of what's likely to happen. This time I barely have a clue.
And then the 2016 primary begins! Huzzah.
And then the 2016 primary begins! Huzzah.
Morning Thread
Here's Echidne, speed blogging on:
The Hobby Lobby case applied to a prisoner being held in Guantanamo.
Sports figures and misogyny.
Killing for love.
The Hobby Lobby case applied to a prisoner being held in Guantanamo.
Sports figures and misogyny.
Killing for love.
Friday, October 24, 2014
The James O'Keefe Era
There was a moment...not a very long moment, but a moment... when "ZOMG JAMES O'KEEFE IS GOING TO RELEASE A VIDEO AND DEMOCRATS WILL ALL SUICIDE" was like a thing. Even after all his bullshit was revealed, it was still like that, because conservatives must always be attended to because bias. Or something.
The latest is pretty funny. At least no one pays much attention to it anymore, except to make fun of it.
The latest is pretty funny. At least no one pays much attention to it anymore, except to make fun of it.
825 Comments
I think this is one newspaper comments section I won't read.
Food stamps benefits are so tiny, and asset tests mean they aren't available to people for temporary help. One has to spend down everything before getting a bit of help which could, maybe, let you stay afloat.
If elected governor, Tom Wolf plans to end the asset test, a measure that ties federal food stamp benefits to people's bank accounts and car ownership.
Food stamps benefits are so tiny, and asset tests mean they aren't available to people for temporary help. One has to spend down everything before getting a bit of help which could, maybe, let you stay afloat.
First, We Clear Out All The Black People
The Detroit "revitalization" plan gets a bit more obvious every day.
Parking
It does make people crazy.
A man and woman from South Los Angeles have been arrested for stabbing a woman to death in front of her children over a parking space at a swap meet, authorities said.
And They Were Heroes
It's probably impossible to explain the fun house absurdity that was the whole Ken Starr nonsense, and the way his goons were treated by the press, to people who didn't live through it. It wasn't just Lewinsky, either. The undertold story just how much low level White House staffers were hounded (amid escalating legal bills).
According to the report, a prosecutor who confronted Lewinsky “exercised poor judgment and made mistakes in his analysis, planning and execution of the approach.” The report, written by two lawyers appointed to investigate the matter by Robert W. Ray, Starr’s successor as independent counsel, concluded that the “matter could have been handled better.”
The report also lays out the encounter in detail, suggesting that it quickly spun out of control as a shocked and hysterical Lewinsky asked to consult a lawyer or a parent — even as prosecutors grew increasingly determined to persuade her to agree on the spot to cooperate against the president.
Morning Thread
Are There No Workhouses?
Maybe buy two bags of candy. One expensive for the immediate neighborhood children and one cheap bag for the others. That'll show them. Or, yannow, just buy some candy for all the kids and count your blessings.
Maybe buy two bags of candy. One expensive for the immediate neighborhood children and one cheap bag for the others. That'll show them. Or, yannow, just buy some candy for all the kids and count your blessings.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Happy Hour Thread
I am going to THE THEATRE this evening because that is what snooty educated adults do.
Earmark'd
The "war on earmarks" was one of the stupidest things in recent years. Everybody in politics loves mostly pointless goo-goo process issues because they're all non-partisany and responsible, but earmarks are how shit gets done.
Woo Hoo!!!
Well that recession is over!!!
Time for more austerity because reasons!
Spain’s unemployment rate fell to the lowest since the end of 2011 in the third quarter as its economy turned into one of the fastest-growing in the euro region.
Joblessness fell to 23.7 percent in the three months through September from 24.5 percent in the previous quarter, Spain’s national statistics institute INE said in Madrid today. The economy grew 0.5 percent in the period, the Bank of Spain predicts.
Time for more austerity because reasons!
Thrilla
I don't really care about the details of the Palin drunken brawl, but it's worth remembering that for about 2 years much of our elite political press (cough Politico cough) was focused on Palin as the future of American politics. Those same members of the political press, though they don't often admit it, see themselves as guardians, that their role is to promote or nuke candidates based on their private knowledge of their worthiness.
Heckuva job.
Heckuva job.
Not A Drop
California's major cities might make it (I can never figure out if this is true or wishful thinking) but Sao Paulo has problems...
SAO PAULO — Sao Paulo residents, half of whom are already complaining of hours-long water shortages, were warned yesterday by a top water regulator to brace for more-severe cutoffs.
“If the drought continues, residents will face more-dramatic water shortages in the short term,” Vicente Andreu, president of Brazil’s National Water Agency, known as ANA, told reporters in Sao Paulo as he prepared to speak to the state’s Legislature.
“If it doesn’t rain, we run the risk that the region will have a collapse like we’ve never seen before,” he later told lawmakers.
Hippie Nation
Remember when the hippies took over the country? That was cool, man.
Oh, wait, you don't remember that? You were probably too stoned.
Oh, wait, you don't remember that? You were probably too stoned.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
"You should always check the accuracy of quotes you read on the internet." - Abraham Lincoln
I'm curious about the precise process that led to this.
What a cover.
What a cover.
Where Do They Go
For those who think that the solution to all of our problems is more "free" (expensive, taxpayer paid for) parking, where do they think the spots should go? Even leaving aside the cost, a 300 spot parking structure is, you know, pretty large. And it only has room for...300 cars.
Cars are big. Time for people to understand this.
Cars are big. Time for people to understand this.
I Don't Pee In Your Pool
One of the great mysteries to me is the number of suburbanites who seem to spend their days commenting at philly.com. Any article which highlights something slightly positive about the city is chum in the water, and if you throw in something about The Kids Today it's a total shark fest.
I admit they entertain me so I appreciate their contribution to humanity, but I still wonder why. I don't spend my time at suburban news sites writing negative comments about where they live.
I admit they entertain me so I appreciate their contribution to humanity, but I still wonder why. I don't spend my time at suburban news sites writing negative comments about where they live.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Nobody Could Have Predicted
I mean, where did they get all of their weapons in the first place?
Take conflict, add more weapons. What could go wrong?
The Islamic State has released a new video in which it brags that it recovered weapons and supplies that the U.S. military intended to deliver to Kurdish fighters, who are locked in a fight with the militants over control of the Syrian border town of Kobane.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist social media accounts, drew attention to the video Tuesday. At one point, it appears to show a masked militant raking his hands through a crate filled with hand grenades.
Take conflict, add more weapons. What could go wrong?
Ross'd
One of my big pet peeves is liberals who interact with horrible conservatives as if they are good people arguing in good faith who we just happen to have very serious intellectual disagreements with. Ross Douthat is just a horrible person. Rod Dreher with a slightly smarter (career wise) filter.
Trump'd
Oops
Donald Trump is personally liable for operating a for-profit investment school without the required license, a New York judge ruled in a lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General against the real estate entrepreneur.
New York state Supreme Court Justice Cynthia S. Kern said he was notified by the state in 2005 that his Trump Entrepreneur Initiative - known as Trump University until 2010 - was in violation of state education law.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Suck On That
Good.
At least the lawyers for the SRC will get lots of money now.
I really hate the arguments about this, which tend to come down to "well everyone else pays something for their health insurance." Total compensation is total compensation. Paying you a salary and then suddenly yanking some of it back for health insurance is just a salary cut.
A judge granted the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers an injunction Monday, temporarily halting expected changes to their healthcare plan.
Earlier in the month, the School Reform Commission canceled teacher contracts and required them to pay minimum healthcare premiums. The move sparked outrage and protests from the teachers union.
At least the lawyers for the SRC will get lots of money now.
I really hate the arguments about this, which tend to come down to "well everyone else pays something for their health insurance." Total compensation is total compensation. Paying you a salary and then suddenly yanking some of it back for health insurance is just a salary cut.
The Great Grift
Even if there are reasonable arguments to be made for flexibility in school operation and for parents to have greater school choice, the Charter School movement has just been a big theft of public money. In my state things are legally rigged in favor of this great ripoff in so many ways. And the problem is that there isn't enough money for the education vultures to steal because the same people who want to give all the education money to their pals also want to cut education money.
All of this was foretold by dirty hippies.
All of this was foretold by dirty hippies.
I Blame The Internet
Not just, but I do think the revival of inter-city train and bus travel is, in large part, due to the internet. Previously there was a high barrier for information. "Oh, you should take the train." "Um, how would I do that then?" Being able to access schedule and price information and to buy tickets online lowers that barrier.
That Is Why I Am Firing Everybody And Then Resigning In Shame
Wait, what, that isn't your point, Fred?
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
I Hate Readers
Did you know that the people who buy my books can "express" "opinions" about them even if they clearly lack the proper education and credentials to do so?
I so should be able to sell a million copies to justify my big advance by just having my smart and well-connected friends buy them. Why doesn't it work that way???
I so should be able to sell a million copies to justify my big advance by just having my smart and well-connected friends buy them. Why doesn't it work that way???
Midtermia
A lot of money goes into election politics, yes even the Team D side of elections. People get paid a lot of money to recruit candidates and run campaigns. There are professionals whose job is to get people to vote for their team. And then as we near election day, and the preblaming begins, the supposedly unenthusiastic Democratic voter who always sits out midterm elections, perhaps because of nattering nabobs of negative liberal bloggers, will be to blame.
I pay attention to this stuff. As was the case in 2010, a few weeks before election day I still can't fill in the blank of "Vote team D because _______!" Don't get me wrong, I know why people should vote team D (mostly, but not entirely, because team R is much worse), but there is no narrative out there. No simple storyline of "Dems will do this" or even "Dems will try to do this."
There's some improvement. They seem to have finally decided that abortion and contraception access might actually be winning issues in some places. But overall... I couldn't give a bumper sticker pitch to my neighbor if I tried. And, again, I pay attention.
The people who get paid a lot of money to run campaigns need to figure out how to get people to vote. It's their job.
I pay attention to this stuff. As was the case in 2010, a few weeks before election day I still can't fill in the blank of "Vote team D because _______!" Don't get me wrong, I know why people should vote team D (mostly, but not entirely, because team R is much worse), but there is no narrative out there. No simple storyline of "Dems will do this" or even "Dems will try to do this."
There's some improvement. They seem to have finally decided that abortion and contraception access might actually be winning issues in some places. But overall... I couldn't give a bumper sticker pitch to my neighbor if I tried. And, again, I pay attention.
The people who get paid a lot of money to run campaigns need to figure out how to get people to vote. It's their job.
Drive Until You Die
Mobility issues aren't going to be the same for all people as they age, but too many people live in areas where not being able to drive will essentially be a home prison sentence. Obviously walking and public transit might not be great options for some of those same people - inability to drive might be due to reasons that make those activities impossibly hard too - but living in a place where calling a cab won't bankrupt you, and where many needed things are a short cab ride away, probably would be.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Courageous Enough
He's actually right. In some sense it doesn't really matter if humans are causing Global Climate Change. The important thing is what we can do about it. Obviously in the real world the "what we can do about it" involves trying to reverse the "what we did to cause it" part, but the latter isn't really important. If it's happening, we need to do something about it.
Life+
Hopefully at least a few gun nuts with racist vigilante fantasies will get the news that they can't *always* get away with murdering young black men.
New Math
I'm not one who has the knowledge to re-litigate the Gary Webb controversy, but his opponents always seem to have strange arguments.
Wow, man, extraordinary, that a ton of cocaine in one year could mean that over a decade there would be tons.
And a ton of cocaine is a shit-ton of cocaine.
As I understand it, the only real quibble in this story is "active encouragement" versus "turning a blind eye." The idea that our supposedly all-knowing intelligence agencies were unaware is ridiculous. They knew what they were doing. And in supporting these people, they were encouraging it.
The first thing I looked for was the amount of cocaine that the story said “the CIA’s army” had brought into the country and funneled into the crack trade. It turned out to be relatively small: a ton in 1981, 100 kilos a week by the mid-1980s, nowhere near enough to flood the country with crack.
...
There was no response from the CIA in the story. But the claims Gary made, man, were they extraordinary:
“For the better part of a decade, a San Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funneled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, a Mercury News investigation has found.
Wow, man, extraordinary, that a ton of cocaine in one year could mean that over a decade there would be tons.
And a ton of cocaine is a shit-ton of cocaine.
As I understand it, the only real quibble in this story is "active encouragement" versus "turning a blind eye." The idea that our supposedly all-knowing intelligence agencies were unaware is ridiculous. They knew what they were doing. And in supporting these people, they were encouraging it.
Czar Of Agency Coordination
Just restate the below post slightly differently: if when something happens we need to suddenly hire a person in charge of agency coordination, then maybe we should always have such a person?
Then the "need a general operator/manager" arguments would make sense.
Then the "need a general operator/manager" arguments would make sense.
I Am The Czar Of All The Ebolas
Lots of reassuring noise from beltway insiders about how of course a Washington insider with no public health experience is the right man to manage a potential public health emergency (it isn't yet) because it's all about agency coordination, blahblahblah.
I'd kinda like to think that the technocratic don't do stupid things administration would think having someone capable of coordinating a response to a public health emergency around at all times would be a good idea. Because emergencies.
I'd kinda like to think that the technocratic don't do stupid things administration would think having someone capable of coordinating a response to a public health emergency around at all times would be a good idea. Because emergencies.
They Actually Believe This Stuff
I'm sure most relatively successful people downplay, to some degree, in their own minds just how much of a role their family backgrounds and general luck in life have played in getting them wherever they are, but increasingly I think there's actually an inverse correlation. The greater the advantages you were born with, the more disadvantaged you really were!
It all makes sense, really. It was twice as hard for Andrew Cuomo to become a successful politician because of the curse of his name!
It all makes sense, really. It was twice as hard for Andrew Cuomo to become a successful politician because of the curse of his name!
Incentives
If we don't give even more free money to JPMorgan they will surely leave New York City for good! And then where will that poverty-stricken town be???
But a deal with the bank poses political risks for both the state and the city. Chase had initially sought, by one account, more than $1 billion in concessions from the city and the state while it continues to pare its payroll in the city. According to executives and officials, Chase wants to build the two towers — whose total space would be the equivalent of about two Empire State Buildings — at Hudson Yards on the north side of 33rd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. They would become home to 16,000 employees.
All In The Family
Time for handsome Joe Biden to rethink his views on the war on some people who do some drugs.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Buy Some Gifts For Your Dear Loved Ones!
How about a Roku? Or just click the link and then buy whatever.
Thanks to you, Jeff Bezos gives me a nice Xmas bonus every year. It's the only one I get, and all you have to do is click a link from here before buying the stuff you would have bought anyway.
Thanks to you, Jeff Bezos gives me a nice Xmas bonus every year. It's the only one I get, and all you have to do is click a link from here before buying the stuff you would have bought anyway.
Surgeon General Lex Luthor
Nothing to worry about, folks.
And I'm not especially worried about Ebola, but it's quite clear our medical system can't handle a serious outbreak for all of the talk about how we have the bestest of everything in the world.
And I'm not especially worried about Ebola, but it's quite clear our medical system can't handle a serious outbreak for all of the talk about how we have the bestest of everything in the world.
My Dream Trip To The Meadowlands
I really want some of the good crack these people are smoking.
You're going to get conventions of 35,000 in the middle of nowhere (okay, it's not nowhere, just isolated) because you put in a casino.
right.
Unlike Manhattan's Javits Center, the Meadowlands area is served by major highways with many travel lanes and room to accommodate parking, said Ron Simoncini of Axiom Communications.
You're going to get conventions of 35,000 in the middle of nowhere (okay, it's not nowhere, just isolated) because you put in a casino.
right.
Rick Scottery
In politics you really don't want to turn yourself, or let yourself be turned, into a punchline.
Nothing To Be Done
Some commenters in this article want I-76 capacity into Philly to be expanded. It basically can't be done. I mean, sure, I suppose with infinite money one can do almost anything, but there isn't a realistic way to add lanes or double deck it over a large enough stretch of it for it to be worthwhile.
I imagine some design flaws could be fixed - some curves straightened a bit, for example - but that highway isn't getting any bigger.
I imagine some design flaws could be fixed - some curves straightened a bit, for example - but that highway isn't getting any bigger.
That Thing We Promised? We Do The Opposite Of That
So awesome.
Ultimately I don't know what the point of any of this is, except that there's money to be made.
The company behind Whisper, the social media app that promises users anonymity and claims to be the “the safest place on the internet”, is tracking the location of its users, including some who have specifically asked not to be followed.
The practice of monitoring the whereabouts of Whisper users – including those who have expressly opted out of geolocation services – will alarm users, who are encouraged to disclose intimate details about their private and professional lives.
Whisper is also sharing information with the US Department of Defense gleaned from smartphones it knows are used from military bases, and developing a version of its app to conform with Chinese censorship laws.
Ultimately I don't know what the point of any of this is, except that there's money to be made.
Not A Drop
I gather that taps will run dry (as they have some places) where people have their own wells first, then in smaller communities isolated from the water system more generally. And then?
Tom Mosby heads the Montecito Water Authority. Faced with running out of water, he imposed drastic water cuts on the area's 10,000 residents.
He's already handed out $2 million in fines to people who use more than they're allowed.
"It's been difficult," Mosby said. "We've had many people come to us with appeals asking us for more water."
Montecito has almost no ground water access. Eighty-five percent of its supply comes from nearby Lake Cachuma. It is now just 30 percent full -- part pond, but mostly prairie. If the drought continues, it could be empty next year.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
DOWN DOWN DOWN
The only upside of a stock market side is that it might make the powers that be actually do something to help the economy, though that something will probably be "give free money to rich people" so...
We'll Handle It
I'm not sure why we all had so much confidence that our messed up medical system could handle an outbreak of a deadly contagious disease.
Quite likely we'll handle it well enough because ebola isn't that contagious (not airborne), but if it was...
"Were protocols breached?" said union spokeswoman Rose Ann DeMoro, "There were no protocols."
"These nurses are not well protected. They're not prepared to handle Ebola or any other pandemic," said DeMoro. "We are deeply alarmed."
DeMoro said the nurses who had come forward were afraid to reveal their identities "because of a culture of threat in the hospitals."
Quite likely we'll handle it well enough because ebola isn't that contagious (not airborne), but if it was...
Easy
Apparently we've switched from "the recovery is here!" to "everything is going to hell!"
I don't know the truth, but when you can borrow money essentially for free, you should do it, no matter what the deficit scolds say.
I don't know the truth, but when you can borrow money essentially for free, you should do it, no matter what the deficit scolds say.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Exciting!
Pension talk:
"For the sake of pure civic engagement, I would like to draw your attention to this weekend's New York Times profile of the Dutch pension system. "A profile of the Dutch pension system? Sounds boring as hell, when I could be reading about various 'hot' celebrities of the moment, and their picayune fashion choices for the upcoming awards shows," you're probably thinking to yourself, if you are Caity Weaver. Not true at all. All this bullshit news about celebrity bullshit is nothing but a bullshit smokescreen. I'll tell you what is really exciting: the cold hard fiscal facts about how this nation is screwing its retirees and what we might learn from a friendly nation by the name of "THE NETHERLANDS," when it comes to proper accounting practices that can assure pension stability. That is "exciting." Because you don't want to be old and broke!"
Also, Too, DUI
I do think MADD should be given much more credit for the urban/walkable neighborhood revival. 20somethings, fresh out of residential colleges, really don't want to have to drive to a bar.
Miniature American Flags For Others
What was especially maddening about Saletan-esque arguments over the years, aside from their clear wrongness, was that he seemed to truly believe that if only pro-choice people would admit it was all so icky and horrible then anti-abortion people would just surrender and go home. It was the position that only a High Priest Of Punditry could take, that the discourse was more important than the policy.
Run Mittens Run
Political reporters love Republicans so much that there are about 20 of them who are unstoppable 2016 juggernauts and also, too, apparently Mitt's the boss.
Just how Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry were treated...
Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and now the tacit head of the Republican Party, visited Iowa as part of a feverish nationwide tour designed to help the GOP take control of the Senate.
Just how Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry were treated...
Monday, October 13, 2014
Emphasis
I don't expect the church to have views on gender and sexuality that I'd totally embrace any time soon. My problem has long been with the emphasis. Think homosexual "acts" are a sin? Abortion and birth control are wrong? Okay, fine, go ahead. It's your church. But these weren't exactly things that Jesus dude spent much time focusing on, at least according to that little book that's in my hotel nightstand. Even if basic doctrine doesn't change radically, one would hope the emphasis does.
VATICAN CITY, Oct 13 (Reuters) - In a dramatic shift in tone, a Vatican document said on Monday that homosexuals had "gifts and qualities to offer" and asked if Catholicism could accept gays and recognise positive aspects of same-sex couples.
The document, prepared after a week of discussions at an assembly of 200 bishops on the family, said the Church should challenge itself to find "a fraternal space" for homosexuals without compromising Catholic doctrine on family and matrimony.
Netflix Mysteries
I know people like video streaming, but I never understood why Netflix really refocused their business to streaming. They basically created a near-monopoly on video rentals, destroying all of the DVD rental shops across the country. Yes various forms of streaming services are going to compete with that, but there was never any way for Netflix to obtain and maintain a monopoly on video streaming. It's something that really any company can do, and they're constantly going to be fighting over the rights to stream various titles. It's why Netflix streaming doesn't have everything, and why titles disappear regularly.
As long as there are DVDs, the first sale doctrine means that Netflix can have the greatest video library in the world and nobody is likely to try to compete with that directly.
Maybe the DVD-by-mail model won't last forever, and probably getting into streaming was a smart move. But their streaming library will never be as awesome as their DVD library potentially can be.
As long as there are DVDs, the first sale doctrine means that Netflix can have the greatest video library in the world and nobody is likely to try to compete with that directly.
Maybe the DVD-by-mail model won't last forever, and probably getting into streaming was a smart move. But their streaming library will never be as awesome as their DVD library potentially can be.
The Hill You Choose To Die On
As I've said repeatedly, I get that people oppose same sex marriage. I mean, not that I really get it, but I guess if you've grown up in a culture which has spent a lot of time demonizing gay people generally and demonizing gay marriage specifically then you might internalize that a bit. I just don't understand why people care, why the issue has intensity. Even if you check "no" on a poll question about supporting gay marriage, why does the issue actually keep you up at night? So weird.
Wrong In The Same Way
Robert Samuelson is one of those columnists that I can almost never bring myself to read anymore. He gets paid a lot of money to write essentially the same column over and over and be wrong in precisely the same ways over and over. Basically: kick the poors, save the economy!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Fabulous
Palin can see gay marriages from her window.
A federal judge ruled Sunday that Alaska’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, paving the way for gay couples to begin marrying in the state for the first time.
Happy Hour
This Simple Chart Confirms Where the Stock Market is Heading.
If you didn't need a drink before, you will now.
If you didn't need a drink before, you will now.
Better Make More Cuts To Food Stamps
Because the money is needed elsewhere.
Much of the money was probably used by the Iraqi government in some way, he concluded. But for years Mr. Bowen could not account for billions more until his investigators finally had a breakthrough, discovering that $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion had been stolen and moved to a bunker in rural Lebanon for safe keeping. “I don’t know how the money got to Lebanon,” Mr. Bowen said. “If I knew that, we would have made more progress on the case.”
Mr. Bowen kept the discovery and his investigation of the cash-filled bunker in Lebanon, which his office code-named Brick Tracker, secret. He has never publicly discussed it until now, and his frustration that neither he nor his investigators can fully account for the missing money was evident in a series of interviews. “Billions of dollars have been taken out of Iraq over the last 10 years illegally,” he said. “In this investigation, we thought we were on the track for some of that lost money. It’s disappointing to me personally that we were unable to close this case, for reasons beyond our control.”
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Expert Trolling
The best way to troll the internet is to take extremely strong positions against harmless minor lifestyle choices. Well played, sir, but now that you've told The Kids Today to get off your lawn it's pretty much all downhill. Sorry.
We'll Just Do What We Want
It's always fun when an entire industry just decides they're immune from all regulations and prosecution and can go ahead and destroy the world.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Tea Party Democrats
One theory is that the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" should "Tea Party" the Dem leadership, but haven't we seen this already?
Fear Of A Black Planet
I don't know why so many suburbanites spend their days spewing hatred in the philly.com comments section. I don't know why they bother. I admit they amuse me. They're people who never actually visit the city but who are obsessed with the idea that it's a post-apocalyptic urban nightmare, where roving bands of black men will skin you alive the instant you step over an invisible border into the wrong neighborhood.
But I've realized this horribly racist view is sincere. They really do believe that young black men are all super-predators, that there are places in the city where you will be instantly killed. All young black men are actually supervillains.
And the cops believe this, too.
But I've realized this horribly racist view is sincere. They really do believe that young black men are all super-predators, that there are places in the city where you will be instantly killed. All young black men are actually supervillains.
And the cops believe this, too.
Very
If I were a bit less lazy and had some funding I'd devote my life to doing what I could (not saying I am the right person for this, just that it matters) to roll back all of the injustices experienced by people incarcerated for minor drug crimes.
If only someone had the unlimited power of commutation and pardon.
If only someone had the unlimited power of commutation and pardon.
Obviously The Pentagon Needs More Money
Because no one is better at lighting it on fire than they are.
The Defense Department destroyed nearly half a billion dollars worth of defective Italian aircraft that U.S. taxpayers bought for Afghanistan and then sold the scrap for $32,000, according to an agency watchdog.
The Grand Conspiracy
It's impressive that a group we didn't hear about until 3 weeks ago has amassed the powers of several thousand super-Hitlers.
Almost Correct
Krugman's right that the deficit scolds love deficits more than anyone, but there's one exception. If it gets anywhere near surplus, it'll let them advocate for their first favorite thing: tax cuts for rich people. Kicking the olds and poors is just their second favorite thing.
Thursday, October 09, 2014
Don't Know Nothing
They sure get paid a lot to be idiots.
New Jersey is a weird place that basically doesn't have its own media market. It's got a big population, but it's New York in the north and Philly in the south. Given that cable increasingly allows for hyperlocal ad targeting, I don't know why political campaigns waste their money in this way (ok, I do, bigger fees for lazy media buyers), but I guarantee it wasn't some cunning plan to make Philly love him.
More generally...yes, a Republican can win Pennsylvania, but Pennsylvania will never be the crucial state that puts them over the line. If they win Pennsylvania they'll have won Florida and North Carolina and Virginia and Ohio and New Hampshire etc. In other words, PA will fall if a Republican wins big nationally, but it just isn't a prize to be pursued by itself. But every 4 years...
Will slapped together a column this morning hyping a potential Christie run in 2016, writing that Christie “radiates serenity,” pairs “occasional pugnacity” with a “sedate, diplomatic manner,” and is a “zestful political combatant.” Perhaps most significantly, Will speculates that candidate Christie could make the quadrennial Republican pipe dream of winning Pennsylvania a reality, based solely on the fact that Christie advertised in the Philly media market during his runs for governor (Philadelphia is just across the Delaware River from Camden).
New Jersey is a weird place that basically doesn't have its own media market. It's got a big population, but it's New York in the north and Philly in the south. Given that cable increasingly allows for hyperlocal ad targeting, I don't know why political campaigns waste their money in this way (ok, I do, bigger fees for lazy media buyers), but I guarantee it wasn't some cunning plan to make Philly love him.
More generally...yes, a Republican can win Pennsylvania, but Pennsylvania will never be the crucial state that puts them over the line. If they win Pennsylvania they'll have won Florida and North Carolina and Virginia and Ohio and New Hampshire etc. In other words, PA will fall if a Republican wins big nationally, but it just isn't a prize to be pursued by itself. But every 4 years...
Just Give Up Already
Stop fighting the inevitable.
I've always thought that the constitutionality of states banning same-sex marriage was more of a judgment call than their failure to recognize out of state gay marriages which was clearly unconstitutional. In any case, given the number of states that have had their bans struck down...just join the party already.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says his office will no longer fight a court challenge to West Virginia's ban on same-sex marriages.
I've always thought that the constitutionality of states banning same-sex marriage was more of a judgment call than their failure to recognize out of state gay marriages which was clearly unconstitutional. In any case, given the number of states that have had their bans struck down...just join the party already.
Nobody Cares About The Deficit
Uninformed voters have some notion that borrowing is "irresponsible" and "objective" reporters have put it on the list of things they're allowed to "objectively" say is bad without thinking that they've abandoned their objectivity, but the people who make careers out of being deficit scolds just want to cut or steal Social Security. That's the point.
I Can Do What I Want
It's one thing to complain about actual speed traps - places where posted speed limits change suddenly and drastically in order to soak people who aren't in the know - it's quite another to argue that it's your right to drive 10mph+ over the speed limit in a school zone because reasons.
It's a $50 ticket. If you're a local you get it once and learn your lesson. Not a big deal.
(ht billymeltdown)
It's a $50 ticket. If you're a local you get it once and learn your lesson. Not a big deal.
(ht billymeltdown)
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Young Women Voters
The Democrats have missed out for years by failing to appeal simply to young women voters who for some weird reason want to have affordable access to proper health care that they need. I'd prefer a more positive frame - this is what we're going to do for you - than the "war on women" one, but it's valid.
Panic Time
What will deficit scolds do if the deficit keeps shrinking? The olds and poors have not yet suffered enough!
Obviously it's time for a tax cut. It always is.
Obviously it's time for a tax cut. It always is.
Civilization
Overnight weekend subway service to continue here indefinitely. Huzzah. It isn't just good for the late night drunk crowd, it's also a boost for the early shift workers.
Use It Or Lose It
If you're wearing your giant external death penis, you should be willing to use it.
More seriously I'm glad no one decided to pull the trigger in this situation, but the whole point of open carry is to signal a willingness to do so.
More seriously I'm glad no one decided to pull the trigger in this situation, but the whole point of open carry is to signal a willingness to do so.
Tuesday, October 07, 2014
Savvy
One of the most annoying tics of our establishment press is, years later, to announce "yes we all knew that" when new information comes to light. Yes we did all know that the AIG bailout was a bailout of the vampire squids, but our insider press generally talked about things as if that wasn't the case. "Critics" spend years trying to point this out, and then when it becomes irrefutable suddenly it's "yes that's old news."
Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit
"We" get a bit richer every year, on a per capita basis, but most of us are getting poorer.
I can't quantify this, but I do sense that as the great stagnation creeps up through the income distribution, as we go from things sucking for the bottom 40% to the bottom 50% to the bottom 60% (etc.), as people increasingly see that there's no possible way for their kids to have the kind of life that they had, that attitudes are changing. People who thought they won the meritocracy lottery are seeing things a bit differently.
Of course we need some politicians to champion some policies to help people, but Third Way.
I can't quantify this, but I do sense that as the great stagnation creeps up through the income distribution, as we go from things sucking for the bottom 40% to the bottom 50% to the bottom 60% (etc.), as people increasingly see that there's no possible way for their kids to have the kind of life that they had, that attitudes are changing. People who thought they won the meritocracy lottery are seeing things a bit differently.
Of course we need some politicians to champion some policies to help people, but Third Way.
Not A Ripple
I've written this before, but it's easy to forget that same sex marriage is legal in my state because once it happened everyone just stopped talking about it. It's a complete nonissue politically. Amazingly life has gone on, just as before, except of course for the people who can now get married.
Not A Drop
Some researchers looked at what happens to California in an extended drought situation.
tl;dr: water gets expensive, lawns disappear, agriculture changes, central valley towns empty out, but the state survives.
tl;dr: water gets expensive, lawns disappear, agriculture changes, central valley towns empty out, but the state survives.
Monday, October 06, 2014
Peak'd
While a complete mess in many ways, Twin Peaks was the early example that television could actually be interesting and better, that there was nothing about the medium which prevented it from doing interesting things. That TV execs had ideas about how TV should be - last long enough for syndication, write shows so episodes could be shown in any order - didn't mean it had to be that way.
Looking forward to some damn good coffee.
Looking forward to some damn good coffee.
Get Your Marriage On
Supremos rejected all the same sex marriage appeals, so it looks like all those anti-marriage ban rulings will stand.
Need Four New Tunnels
If predictions about the lifespan of the Hudson tunnels is true, then they should be planning for 4 new tunnels, not two (well, four tracks anyway, the engineers can figure out how best to do that).
But in the near term, if they do have to shut down one tunnel before there are any replacements... It would be bad. Total protonal reversal bad.
But in the near term, if they do have to shut down one tunnel before there are any replacements... It would be bad. Total protonal reversal bad.
Probably Need More Austerity In Spain
Only solution I can see.
German factory orders (GRIORTMM) plunged the most since 2009, underlining the risk of a slowdown in Europe’s largest economy.
Sunday, October 05, 2014
Sunday Afternoon
Iraq war is stupid and evil.
Don't privatize Social Security.
George Bush sucks.
Our news media loves Republicans.
Fred Hiatt is the worst.
Build more SUPERTRAINS
Give free money to people.
Public option please.
Shit is fucked up and bullshit.
Parking minimums suck.
Just posting Cliff's Notes of the archives for those who came in late.
Don't privatize Social Security.
George Bush sucks.
Our news media loves Republicans.
Fred Hiatt is the worst.
Build more SUPERTRAINS
Give free money to people.
Public option please.
Shit is fucked up and bullshit.
Parking minimums suck.
Just posting Cliff's Notes of the archives for those who came in late.
Maybe A Few More Then
Defense industry workers need their Christmas bonuses, after all.
Isis fighters have pushed to within little more than a mile of the centre of the city of Kobani, undeterred by western air strikes which are proving ineffective, a leading Kurdish official in the city has said.
Emphasis
Bruni has a rare decent column. It is the issue which I have long found maddening. It's one thing for the Catholic Church to have official stands on things like gay marriage which I might disagree with (hey, I'm not Catholic!), it's quite another that gay issues and to a lesser extent sex more generally have seemingly become the issues for the church, at least where the church intersects with politics.
And it isn't just the church, it's the entire focus of the political religious right. "Values Voters" means no gays and slutshaming. Um, ok, great values.
And it isn't just the church, it's the entire focus of the political religious right. "Values Voters" means no gays and slutshaming. Um, ok, great values.
Saturday, October 04, 2014
Afternoon Thread
As H pointed out in comments, now would be a good time to have the Senate approve a Surgeon General.
Dead Man Walking
The porn email scandal is much less of a scandal than "shittiest governor" scandal, but in any case Corbett will be out the door soon.
First Cuppa Thread
Two of my favorite things: The first sip of coffee in the morning and the first sip of cold beer in the evening.
Friday, October 03, 2014
Good Works
Michelangelo was an early friend of the blog (and me). We used to plot and scheme a bit back in the day. Good that he's getting some recognition. Queer in America started me on the path to not being such an idiot about queer issues.
Apocalypse Soon
I don't think one can overstate how screwed Northern New Jersey commuters will be if one of the Hudson tunnels is shut. Amtrak owns them. NJT would probably just be told to piss off. If I'm counting correctly, 6 commuter lines run through that tunnel. Everyone would have to be dumped onto PATH trains and I doubt the capacity is there.
Thursday, October 02, 2014
Great Moments In Horrible Governing
Do not know how a lifelong New Yorker can be so clueless about the importance of these tunnels.
400,000 people per day go through those tunnels. Cuomo's precious Tappan Zee bridge? 135,000 cars.
Today, at an unrelated event, a reporter asked Governor Andrew Cuomo if he had any intention of helping fund another tunnel under the Hudson River so that Amtrak could take the existing tubes out of service and properly repair them.
"The, uh, I haven't seen the Amtrak report so I can’t really comment on it," said the governor.
400,000 people per day go through those tunnels. Cuomo's precious Tappan Zee bridge? 135,000 cars.
*Only Applies To Blah People
Don't they know that's in the law, even if it's written in invisible ink?
Rose Petals Must Be Scattered In Front Of Them As They Walk
It would be quite awesome if the world finally tells the IOC to fuck off.
Their brand sponsorship monopoly requirements were so absurd that in 2012, London was shutting down restaurants with "Olympic" in the name and preventing pubs from doing so much as advertising "come watch the Olympics here!"
Their brand sponsorship monopoly requirements were so absurd that in 2012, London was shutting down restaurants with "Olympic" in the name and preventing pubs from doing so much as advertising "come watch the Olympics here!"
And It All Falls Down
The amazing thing about Christie cancelling the tunnel project is that it was much more of a gift to NJ than NYC. Sure NYC needs those tunnels, too, but it's commuters from NJ who are really going to be screwed.
I know transit nerds who didn't like the ARC project for various valid reasons, but right now the alternative is... nothing.
I know transit nerds who didn't like the ARC project for various valid reasons, but right now the alternative is... nothing.
Effed
Oh crap.
They're going to have to fix the Hudson tunnels, too, and then things will really be fucked. Thanks Christie.
Amtrak officials said on Wednesday that they will have to sharply curtail use of the century-old rail tunnels leading to New York City for at least a year to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, a move that would affect train service for tens of thousands of commuters.
One of the four tubes that carry trains under the East River between Manhattan and Long Island would be the first to close, possibly in late 2015. The work on that tube would take a full year and would affect service on the two railroads that also use the tunnel, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit, which uses a rail yard in Queens to park its trains.
They're going to have to fix the Hudson tunnels, too, and then things will really be fucked. Thanks Christie.
Good Enough For The Ladies
This is some bullshit.
“Two months ago, attorneys for a coalition of leading players informed officials from the Canadian Soccer Association [CSA] and FIFA that forcing the 2015 women’s World Cup to take place on artificial turf rather than grass was not only wrong but also constituted illegal sex discrimination,” Hampton Dellinger, attorney for the players’ coalition, said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Men’s World Cup tournament matches are played on natural grass while CSA and FIFA are relegating female players to artificial turf. The difference matters: plastic pitches alter how the game is played, pose unique safety risks and are considered inferior for international competition.
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
Evening Thread
3 advil and repeated applications of a hot compress to the back of the neck and the headache has subsided for now.
I'm not that sensitive to pain and discomfort, which is why I didn't have any damn drugs in the house, but cross a certain threshold...
I'm not that sensitive to pain and discomfort, which is why I didn't have any damn drugs in the house, but cross a certain threshold...
Lunch Thread
Flu has been replaced with terrible headache. Might need to not stare at the screen for a bit.
Send Many Buckets
I suppose we aren't going to do anything about Syrian refugees, but perhaps we can help some Walrus-Americans.
Gun Nuttery
Open carry ammosexuals are quite certain that it's obvious that they are the good guys with guns, and that it's also obvious who the bad guys with guns are. They either haven't figured out what that means in practice, or don't care.
Morning
Here's some good news from Spocko. When Corporate Sponsors Leave ALEC and Rush, What We Learn.