Saturday, January 31, 2015
Easy Peasy
I do not think they thought this part through very well...
...adding, a lot of not affluent people, whose annual interaction with the IRS was mostly a nuisance, are going to be entangled with them forever at a time when staffing has been cut and it's impossible to get through to a person on the phone. This is really a problem.
...adding, a lot of not affluent people, whose annual interaction with the IRS was mostly a nuisance, are going to be entangled with them forever at a time when staffing has been cut and it's impossible to get through to a person on the phone. This is really a problem.
The Quiet American
I don't remember if it was a sudden realization or a slow burn coming to be aware that the phone call was coming from inside the house, but to me the amazing thing about The Quiet American when I first read it is that it was first published in 1955.
Worth a read.
Don't think the (relatively recent) movie was superb, but it wasn't bad.
Worth a read.
Don't think the (relatively recent) movie was superb, but it wasn't bad.
What Was It All About Then
I always feel bad about making Benghazi jokes because people did die, but years later I still have no idea what conservatives think the "scandal" is.
Wakey, Wakey
UNE has a different take on the children of MLK trying to control his estate. The discussion in comments is worth reading as well.
Friday, January 30, 2015
They'll Mess You Up
Despite being born in Australia, and having my favorite childhood toy being my stuffed toy platypus, it wasn't until recently I knew that those little bastards shoot venom from their hind limbs which will mess you up.
That Was Fast
Kinda wow.
He also released a video admitting guilt. Kinda weird.
Outgoing Pennsylvania state treasurer Rob McCord will plead guilty to charges stemming from alleged campaign finance violations, his attorneys said in a statement Friday.
He also released a video admitting guilt. Kinda weird.
The Way We Were
You know, Jim, your Scotch-Irish identity politics is just as much identity politics as any other. Figure that out, and you might be onto something...
Yes We Can
I was listening to my 10 daily minutes of NPR (otherwise known as "shower radio time") and there was a science friday show about the vaccination issue. Whoever they had on the program (a researcher of some sort) made an offhand remark about how while people trust their Pediatricians on this issue, we [roughly] "can't send them door to door." It was just a throwaway remark without much context, so I'm not knocking the guy, but, you know, we could send Pediatricians (or nurses) door to door if we wanted to! If ever there is, say, a measles epidemic, I'm pretty sure we will (or at least certainly should!) send them door to door. Because, you know, public health.
Called Out
Digby:
I know the feeling. I'm a good liberal! I'm a feminist! Most of my friends are gay! Why are you criticizing meeeeeeee??? But I don't know everything about the experience of others, and when your supposed allies sorta suck, too, the impulse to call them out is understandable
One flaw about the quickness of social media is that sometimes there's too much of a pressure to RESPOND RIGHT NOW TO THAT THING YOU DID WRONG. Sometimes maybe it's hard to respond because you put the computer down for a few minutes, the extreme example being Justine Sacco. Sometimes it takes time to respond because the criticisms are coming from all over the place, and not all of them are even close to being germane. A game of telephone gets played with this stuff, such that legitimate criticisms of things you said evolve into stupid commentary on things you didn't say.
It takes time to come to genuinely understand something that you are being lambasted for not having understood five minutes ago. Silence can anger people, but stepping back and thinking is often the right thing to do. It's hard to respond honestly and thoughtfully and, when appropriate, with contrition, if you don't understand what you're responding to.
But, you know, so what? My fee fees don't matter much. I'm privileged enough that I'm required to have a thick skin, and the vast majority of people who might take to the internet to criticize me will be punching up, not down, even if I don't quite have the prominence of, say, Jonah Goldberg. When people in more marginalized groups speak, I try to listen, even if it takes some time to really hear. That doesn't mean I'm always obligated to agree, but I shouldn't tune it out either.
God knows there's a lot of moronic discourse on the internet and it's important to try to sort out trolls from serious critics. And nobody says that you are required to absorb whatever abuse any crank decides to lay on you. My wrecked comment section stays dormant because useful arguments have shifted to twitter and I don't need to spend my days trying to deal with the odd assortment of misogynists and malcontents who took up residence there and chased off all the normal people. But so-called "PC Police" are among those critics who are actually making a difference, even if it is uncomfortable and frustrating to be on the receiving end. My own response to being "called out" is often anger at first just like Chait. It's very hurtful and I'm human. But I've learned that when I feel that very particular kind of anger that comes from being attacked for my privilege, it is often a useful signal that I probably need to step back think a little harder about something.
I know the feeling. I'm a good liberal! I'm a feminist! Most of my friends are gay! Why are you criticizing meeeeeeee??? But I don't know everything about the experience of others, and when your supposed allies sorta suck, too, the impulse to call them out is understandable
One flaw about the quickness of social media is that sometimes there's too much of a pressure to RESPOND RIGHT NOW TO THAT THING YOU DID WRONG. Sometimes maybe it's hard to respond because you put the computer down for a few minutes, the extreme example being Justine Sacco. Sometimes it takes time to respond because the criticisms are coming from all over the place, and not all of them are even close to being germane. A game of telephone gets played with this stuff, such that legitimate criticisms of things you said evolve into stupid commentary on things you didn't say.
It takes time to come to genuinely understand something that you are being lambasted for not having understood five minutes ago. Silence can anger people, but stepping back and thinking is often the right thing to do. It's hard to respond honestly and thoughtfully and, when appropriate, with contrition, if you don't understand what you're responding to.
But, you know, so what? My fee fees don't matter much. I'm privileged enough that I'm required to have a thick skin, and the vast majority of people who might take to the internet to criticize me will be punching up, not down, even if I don't quite have the prominence of, say, Jonah Goldberg. When people in more marginalized groups speak, I try to listen, even if it takes some time to really hear. That doesn't mean I'm always obligated to agree, but I shouldn't tune it out either.
Stupid Trademark Tricks
This is just a dumb interpretation of what trademark law is supposed to be (of course like all IP law, it just gets worse and worse in practice). It isn't supposed to give its owners monopoly use of the term, just prevent other businesses from confusing customers. No one thinks the bar around the corner is having the actual Super Bowl, they're just putting the game on the damn TVs. If I rented out a nearby high school field, started advertising "PHOENIX AREA SUPER BOWL," and pitted a couple of high school teams togther then the NFL would have reasonable (if still stupid) cause to complain.
In other words, McDonald's hardware store should be fine, my opening a non-franchise "McDonald's" hamburger joint would not be fine, and McDowell's and his Golden Arcs are probably going to have some problems.
In other words, McDonald's hardware store should be fine, my opening a non-franchise "McDonald's" hamburger joint would not be fine, and McDowell's and his Golden Arcs are probably going to have some problems.
Morning Thread
A few quick hits from Echidne. If the obit hadn't mentioned that Colleen McCullough was heavy I wouldn't have known, and frankly, I don't need to know.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
When The Feds Come Knocking
Ruh roh.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPVI) --
Action News confirms that Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord, who announced Thursday he is stepping down from the job, is currently under federal investigation.
Sources tell Action News that the wide-spread probe is examining the alleged theft of campaign and other funds.
...
The Democrat recently ran unsuccessfully for governor.
Obama Will Destroy Us
Pretty sure that if the after tax income for the top .1% is reduced by 2.5% then the economy will be destroyed.
High Minded Intellectual Discussion
Apparently the new TNR is going to take a look at the racial (racist) history of the old TNR. While it isn't the only thing that matters in that context, the "great" thing about the publication of the Bell Curve issue was that they could "provocatively" raise the question of whether black people were stupid, and then wonder why black people (and others) were just so emotional about the whole thing. Such sensitivities! Such unwillingness to engage in high level debate! Why won't you make the effort to seriously debunk this racist pseudo-science (even as people did, of course)? Why can't you engage with the very serious question of whether you are genetically inferior even though 20 years later I still don't understand the basic concepts of "race" and "population" as cultural versus scientific constructs?
The Great Grift
Some people are special.
The District held that some “members of the philanthropic community” and undefined “stakeholders” get to have a different level of access than the rest of the public. This reveals a lot about decisionmaking and voice in a state-takeover district.
It should make a difference that some of the entities that helped contribute to the Boston Consulting Group plan had board members who were real estate developers and individuals with financial and political stakes in charter school operators. These were groups that pushed hard for school closures, which rocked the District in 2012-13, forcing 7,000 children to crowd into schools that today are worse off than the ones they had attended. A number of the properties were then fast-tracked for sale.
We know that mass school closings didn’t improve the District’s finances. They didn’t stop the loss of nearly 4,000 jobs just a few months later. They didn’t buy us any good will from the state legislature. And most important, they didn’t improve the academic opportunities for students in schools targeted for closure or for those in the rest of the District.
Money Well Spent
Just a reminder that the LA-SF SUPERTRAIN is some crazy unaffordable hippie plan.
The threats that Afghan and American troops face in Afghanistan remain all too real. But it strains credulity to believe that insurgents would become more proficient fighters by poring over lengthy inspector general reports about an increasingly forgotten war. Classifying that information unreasonably prevents American taxpayers from drawing informed conclusions about the returns on a $107.5 billion reconstruction investment that, adjusted for inflation, has surpassed the price tag of the Marshall Plan.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Welcome To The Club
I always thought Tim Ryan was kind of full of shit about his anti-abortion stance, though I thought that, unlike some people, he was full of shit in a sort of good way. He tried doing the "can't we find common ground" schtick by getting pro-life movement members to get on board with things which would reduce (the need for) abortions, instead of just trying to criminalize it. Then he figured out they were actually just anti-sex weirdos who were also against contraception. Glad to see he's totally repudiated his former public position.
He's on the very short list of "members of Congress I've had a drink with." Seemed to be nice enough.
He's on the very short list of "members of Congress I've had a drink with." Seemed to be nice enough.
Brutalism
I have an odd fondness for brutalism and also agree with the idea that there's some value in preserving representative bits of architecture, even horrible bits, from all eras, but I'm really not seeing the masterpiece in this one...
Dished
I certainly can relate to the notion that blogging (mostly) all day every day is stressful. Yes it's a privileged and easy life for the most part, but it still has its own unique stresses that take their toll. As soon as I hit the publish button, my next thought is "ok, what do I post about next..." And running this blog isn't just about my brilliant thoughts or mad aggregation skills, it's also about trying to gently manage a (fortunately mostly well-behaved) community. This thing is running even when I sleep.
Tear Down This Garage
Progress.
We can compete with the suburbs by trying to be like them but worse (in the sense of not being able to compete with their specific advantages) was never a good plan.
They were supposed to be saviors of downtown, drawing people by offering parking as plentiful as at any suburban shopping mall.
But decades after cities tore down buildings and replaced them with parking structures, communities across the country are demolishing the garages and putting up buildings again, confident that more people will be drawn to lively offices, hotels and housing.
We can compete with the suburbs by trying to be like them but worse (in the sense of not being able to compete with their specific advantages) was never a good plan.
Bloggers Begin
Glennzilla has a good piece.
I usually don't scream quite as loudly as I used to, because I don't have to. Back in the early days you had to make noise to be heard. Now that the internet is much more all linked up, one doesn't have to be quite as noisy. If you have a good point you can probably get an audience for it. I'm not making an internet-as-meritocracy argument, I'm simply saying that stuff can be linked and relinked and twittered and facebooked in a way which didn't happen back in the "old days."
I usually don't scream quite as loudly as I used to, because I don't have to. Back in the early days you had to make noise to be heard. Now that the internet is much more all linked up, one doesn't have to be quite as noisy. If you have a good point you can probably get an audience for it. I'm not making an internet-as-meritocracy argument, I'm simply saying that stuff can be linked and relinked and twittered and facebooked in a way which didn't happen back in the "old days."
Soak The Rich
Sometimes I want to be in the room at the White House when they discuss these things. Yes the cost of this tax benefit (in terms of lost revenue) is mostly due to relatively wealthy people benefiting from it, though it matters more to the less wealthy people who benefit from it. So, instead, increase the top tax bracket rate by one percentage point. Lower the rest by one percentage point (someone else can do The Math to make this work).
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Love Affairs
One of the goofier unchallenged phrases is "American love affair with cars." Cars are useful things! We built infrastructure to accommodate them, and then places that required them. People in other countries have cars too! They also, sometimes to a lesser extent, built infrastructure to accommodate them and places that required them.
The Great Grift
I'm not going to claim that everyone working in dem-leaning politics is a saint. We have our own mercenaries and grifters. But the Great Grift of conservative politics is quite stunning in its scope.
Quality Trolling
Washington state Republicans are going to make sure the Dems take the blame for Bertha (which they mostly deserve).
Monday, January 26, 2015
All That Hype For Nothing
Locally, at least. The forecast here was always a bit lower than NYC and parts of New England, but, it seems like we're down to almost nothing at this point.
This has been the local snow report, brought to you by the letter 'S'.
This has been the local snow report, brought to you by the letter 'S'.
Easiest Kimchi Recipe
This is all too complicated. Just put a bunch in a pot, add some cut up pork, boil for an hour, add some cut up tofu for a few minutes at the end, serve with a bit of rice. Done.
White Horse Prophecy
Not a mind reader, but I have long suspected this explained Mitt.
Some Mormons also believe in something called the “white horse prophecy” that, while not official church doctrine, says the Constitution will “hang like a thread” and be saved by a white horse — which some elements believe to be the Mormon Church or a prophetic church figure. High-profile Mormon candidates often reinvigorate this lore, and Mr. Romney is no exception. A longtime friend says that he has seen Mr. Romney approached at church about the prophecy.
“It makes him uncomfortable,” said the friend, speaking anonymously to discuss a delicate topic. “He kind of laughs it off and shrugs it off and doesn’t engage.”
But Mr. Romney’s religion is the lens through which he often filters achievements and setbacks in his life.
Real Time
I actually was an urban economist in my former life. Economists are sometimes good at coming up with very complicated ways of trying to prove what is obvious. My memory of the research is that people value their time with respect to public transit just how you'd expect. They don't mind time spent riding so much. They hate waiting, and they especially hate waiting if they don't know when the next bus/train/whatever is actually going to show up.
My local transit authority has had a pretty good "real time" location app for buses and trolleys for a few years now. It isn't perfect - it doesn't poll the location frequently enough and a bit too often vehicles "ghost" for whatever reason - but it gives a pretty good guess about when that bus might show up. A more accurate system will be great.
For some reason they don't do a good job advertising this stuff. A woman at the bus stop was very excited when I showed her where the bus was on my phone. It definitely is life improving if you ride regularly.
My local transit authority has had a pretty good "real time" location app for buses and trolleys for a few years now. It isn't perfect - it doesn't poll the location frequently enough and a bit too often vehicles "ghost" for whatever reason - but it gives a pretty good guess about when that bus might show up. A more accurate system will be great.
For some reason they don't do a good job advertising this stuff. A woman at the bus stop was very excited when I showed her where the bus was on my phone. It definitely is life improving if you ride regularly.
Maybe A Megamall? A Water Park? A Go-Kart Raceway?
I think the real reason Christie is not the man to save Atlantic City is that he's stuck in 1983.
Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit
There are so many "mysteries" in this economy that are so difficult to explain unless you are capable of noticing that people don't have any money.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Grexit
I guess now we find out just what those CRAZY HIPPIE AUSTERITY HATERS are going to do.
At 25% unemployment, practically anything has to be an improvement. Convert the damn economy to bitcoin, or Oreobucks.
At 25% unemployment, practically anything has to be an improvement. Convert the damn economy to bitcoin, or Oreobucks.
Pre-Happy Hour
Oh, what the hell, it's Saturday Sunday and we're hunkering down for SNOW!!!! OMG, it's going snow, in January, in the Northeast. We can start a few minutes early.
The Lesser Provinces
I lived in Yurp for a bit during the run up to the adoption of the Euro. One thing that stood out in all the Very Serious People talk at the time was the basic contempt that The North had for The South. Yes, yes, we're all in this together, but those damn Greeks and Italians are going to screw everything up.
The Very Serious People have done a heckuva job bossing around the lesser provinces. Hopefully the rebellion is successful.
The Very Serious People have done a heckuva job bossing around the lesser provinces. Hopefully the rebellion is successful.
As Long As It's Regressive
Republican governors discover that taxing the poors isn't so bad after all.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
That's Cold
But I'm surprised that people generally set their thermostats so high, especially at night. I think I set mine at 55 freedom degrees overnight and that's totally fine with a good comforter.
They're Only Dancing
Obviously the contractor won't be on the hook because freedom, so it'll be a battle between Seattle and Washington forever...
Stay Tuned
Oh my.
ALBANY — U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s warning to “stay tuned” for more corruption arrests after he bagged Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has sent a big chill through the state Capitol.
“I think everyone is waiting for the next shoe to drop,” said one legislative official.
Added former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, a Westchester Democrat: “When a prosecutor says stay tuned, I think he means it.”
The big fish reportedly being looked at is Gov. Cuomo.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Actually, It's About Ethics In Blogging
Once upon a time blogger ethics was the hot topic for some journalists. Basically, they all had Teh Ethics because Assume Ethics (beat sweeteners are totally ethical! for realz!) but who knows what the bloogers are doing? They're all getting rich, probably! On the take from moneyed interests (I wish!) directing every word they wrote.
I always just rolled my eyes because, for one reason, it seemed that none of these journalists were aware of this thing called the Opinion Pages which regularly appeared in their journal of serious objective discoveries.
I always just rolled my eyes because, for one reason, it seemed that none of these journalists were aware of this thing called the Opinion Pages which regularly appeared in their journal of serious objective discoveries.
Mourning
Saudia Arabia has a horrible government and horrible policies, especially if you think 50%+ of the population might actually matter a wee bit. It is truly one of the worst countries in the world. Maybe North Korea gives them a bit of competition. I've never quite understood the realpolitik that requires that we are their bestest buddies, even though many people have tried to explain it to me. But, fine, maybe there are things my hippie blogger mind can't understand. Our State Department has its reasons. Still, why does the press play along so much? If [random left wing South American president] was 1% as horrible as Saudi Arabia, the Washington Post editorial board would never stop freaking out about it.
Business Models
I'm sure the readership of the New York Times is a bit more affluent than average, and of course being in NYC skews your perception of real estate prices, but there really just aren't that many rich people. Maybe don't try so hard to cater to them?
FREEDOM!!!!!
Every few years or so conservatives find some example of eminent domain abuse (and while a necessary power, it certainly can be abused) they decide is the Worst Thing Evah and then forget about the whole issue for awhile.
Keystone XL would be an eminent domain abuse nightmare.
Keystone XL would be an eminent domain abuse nightmare.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Mini Movie Review
Into the Woods was kinda meh. Decent enough representation of the musical, but didn't really seem to even try to add any movie magic.
Only White People Can Be Licensed Gun Owners
As Saint Reagan demonstrated, the best way to get gun control laws passed is to have a bunch of black people packing. Of course, it's also a good way to get a bunch of black people killed so I am not recommending this as a plan.
Pricey
New Yorkers do benefit from the fact that the subway system has single fare pricing, that the base fare can take you a very long way, but $2.75 is still pretty pricey...
How many of these people do you think are regular riders?
How many of these people do you think are regular riders?
No-Go Zones
I ask again, do any of these people ever travel anywhere outside their limos?
They host guests who actually put numbers to "no-go zones." It's so beyond absurd. We might have to change the question to "stupid, lying, or just completely fucking psychotic?"
They host guests who actually put numbers to "no-go zones." It's so beyond absurd. We might have to change the question to "stupid, lying, or just completely fucking psychotic?"
Farm Subsidies Don't Count
It's baked into the American Way, John. It's been with us for a long time.
Major Major’s father was a sober God-fearing man whose idea of a good joke was to lie about his age. He was a longlimbed farmer, a God-fearing, freedom-loving, law-abiding rugged individualist who held that federal aid to anyone but farmers was creeping socialism. He advocated thrift and hard work and disapproved of loose women who turned him down. His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him well for every bushel of alfalfa he did not grow. The more alfalfa he did not grow, the more money the government gave him, and he spent every penny he didn’t earn on new land to increase the amount of alfalfa he did not produce. Major Major’s father worked without rest at not growing alfalfa. On long winter evenings he remained indoors and did not mend harness, and he sprang out of bed at the crack of noon every day just to make certain that the chores would not be done. He invested in land wisely and soon was not growing more alfalfa than any other man in the county. Neighbors sought him out for advice on all subjects, for he had made much money and was therefore wise. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” he counseled one and all, and everyone said, “Amen.”
Major Major’s father was an outspoken champion of economy in government, provided it did not interfere with the sacred duty of government to pay farmers as much as they could get for all the alfalfa they produced that no one else wanted or for not producing any alfalfa at all. He was a proud and independent man who was opposed to unemployment insurance and never hesitated to whine, whimper, wheedle and extort for as much as he could get from whomever he could.
Wazed
If I remember correctly, the last time I was in LA, whatever freeway I was on was a parking lot so I (I wasn't driving) instructed my little magic phone device to find me an alternate route and it did. I don't think it really routed me through residential neighborhoods, but it probably did somewhat.
The extra traffic is something residents will probably have to deal with, but drivers should stop with the speeding and the rolling stops. They aren't saving them any time. Most aggressive driving doesn't.
The extra traffic is something residents will probably have to deal with, but drivers should stop with the speeding and the rolling stops. They aren't saving them any time. Most aggressive driving doesn't.
That's A Lot
I kind of respect it. If you're going to be corrupt, go big.
The powerful speaker of the New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, was arrested on federal corruption charges on Thursday and accused of using the power of his office to solicit millions in bribes and kickbacks, according to court documents.
Morning Thread
Looks like the Philadelphia area might get hit hard Saturday by old man winter. Best run out and get some milk and toilet paper.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
If Only We Could Help To Prevent This
Vaccinate your damn kids.'
There was a moment when I took the thimerosal-autism link seriously. Not in a "this must be true!" sense, but in the sense that there was a time when kids were getting more than acceptable levels of mercury in vaccines which seemed to correlate with the rise of diagonsed autism. It was a theory. A reasonable one. It seems that it wasn't a provable theory, and in any case the kids aren't getting that much mercury anymore.
I get that parents with autistic kids had thought they had found the cause. It doesn't seem that was correct.
In any case, vaccinate your kids.
There was a moment when I took the thimerosal-autism link seriously. Not in a "this must be true!" sense, but in the sense that there was a time when kids were getting more than acceptable levels of mercury in vaccines which seemed to correlate with the rise of diagonsed autism. It was a theory. A reasonable one. It seems that it wasn't a provable theory, and in any case the kids aren't getting that much mercury anymore.
I get that parents with autistic kids had thought they had found the cause. It doesn't seem that was correct.
In any case, vaccinate your kids.
Wonk'd
For years journalists have informed us that Bobby Jindal is one of the brightest bulbs in the Republican shiny light display.
Pretty sure that's not really true.
Really wondering why he's choosing this hill to die on.
Pretty sure that's not really true.
Really wondering why he's choosing this hill to die on.
Well That's A Problem
The Boys have been gunning for her from day one, but that doesn't mean they don't have anything.
And Lanny Davis? Really?
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A grand jury says there are reasonable grounds to charge Pennsylvania’s attorney general with perjury, false swearing, official oppression and obstruction after an investigation into leaks of secret grand jury material.
The records released Wednesday by the state Supreme Court indicate the grand jury’s Dec. 18 presentment in the case of Attorney General Kathleen Kane has been sent to the district attorney in Montgomery County for any prosecution.
Kane spokesman Lanny Davis says special prosecutor Thomas Carluccio didn’t find evidence she leaked material and calls the recommended charges “utterly false, even absurd.”
And Lanny Davis? Really?
Mass Transit Ideas From People Who Don't Understand Mass Transit
I lean towards "build all the trains everywhere" as even dumb nice things are better than no nice things, but too often these things look liked whoever thought of them never saw a train before.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Retirement For These People Is Going To Be A Disaster
Not enough people have 401(k)s or similar, those that do don't have much money in them, and the Great Recession led to many either cashing out or taking out loans against them. If only there was some popular program that could be expanded in anticipation of this event which might appeal to voters.
All Hail The Governor Tom Wolf Era
The finally gone guy, Tom Corbett, had one redeeming quality: he wasn't that good at being bad. He was bad, but he just wasn't all that competent at it, and fortunately wasn't competent enough to get re-elected.
Cities Are Scary, Europe Is Scary, Muslims Are Scary, The Moops Have Invaded
This doesn't actually need any rebuttal, because it isn't just false, it's bonkers, but there's obviously an audience for it. Scary brown people have taken over the place!
No Jobs, No Money
I knew there was a housing bubble (not how badly it would burst, and not that it would come close to taking the world with it when it did) because I knew that there was no way that many people, especially those living in places like Southern California, had enough money to afford those houses. The teaser rate mortgages with expected refinancing to another teaser rate mortgage in 3 years couldn't last forever. And it didn't.
People still have no money. Incomes are stagnant, and even if the jobs situation has improved, the hangover from the Great Recession is still here. And lots of people were completely screwed by financial institutions and are unlikely to want to play that particular game again.
I'm not sure how much opening the credit spigot again will actually lure people back to buying houses, but to the extent that it does it's probably a bad idea.
People still have no money. Incomes are stagnant, and even if the jobs situation has improved, the hangover from the Great Recession is still here. And lots of people were completely screwed by financial institutions and are unlikely to want to play that particular game again.
I'm not sure how much opening the credit spigot again will actually lure people back to buying houses, but to the extent that it does it's probably a bad idea.
You Lie
SOTU day! yay! Predicting Obama will NOT be bipartisany enough and all the pundits will have a sad because he failed to change Washington and lead.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Bust
I can't quantify this meaningfully, but my impression is that so much of the coverage of lower oil prices has focused on the impacts on the oil industry and realted. I thought we were just supposed say "yay lower gas prices!" and go about our day.
Not saying there's anything wrong with such coverage, just been struck by the quantity of it.
Not saying there's anything wrong with such coverage, just been struck by the quantity of it.
Laying Pipe
It's absurd to think that any conservative or swing voter without a direct financial interest in Keystone actually gives a shit about it. Environmentalists care about opposing it, Limbaugh junkies "care" because libturds but they don't actually care.
Clouds of Smug
No opinion on anything of substance here, but wow I hate when local leaders talk about their townships/cities like this.
But officials and residents of the Main Line community say the new plan - for an office park near the heavily traveled intersection of the Blue Route and Lancaster Avenue - is even worse.
"The dismay that I feel, it comes from the fact that this is a very sophisticated community and we should be able to come up with a better solution for this site," Commissioner Elaine Schaefer said at last Monday's meeting when the plan was presented. She said the latest designs were reminiscent of a 1970s office building.
"Free-Range Parenting" Stickers? Really?
There's a lot about this story that makes me want to call BS. It's ideologically self-flattering, one-sided, and omits context.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I call bullshit.
Could be wrong!
MAS. It wasn't stickers but "Free Range Kid" IDs they "forgot that day." Hoax, folks -- could be wrong!
Maybe I'm wrong, but I call bullshit.
Could be wrong!
MAS. It wasn't stickers but "Free Range Kid" IDs they "forgot that day." Hoax, folks -- could be wrong!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
If Only We Had A Method Of Preventing This
Oy.
There are now 51 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus across California, three other states and Mexico, and the Orange County Health Care Agency said the reports of new cases “indicate the measles outbreak will continue to spread.”
Morning Thread
Watched the FRONTLINE episode: Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA. I was struck by how the reporter spoke about Washington, D.C. and the rest of the country as if they were two separate entities. D.C. thinks one way, the rest the country thinks another way, and guess who wins?
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Teh Adults Today
Because I am a masochist, I read too much stupid shit on the internet. I continue to be amazed at how many people think sending 11-year-olds outside without adult supervision just can't be done because "times have changed" and there are "perverts" lurking behind every blade of grass.
I thought this was what all of those gated and limited access road suburban communities were all about. Safe! Cul-de-sacs! Children outside playing!
I live in the urban hellhole, a place that looms large in the imagination of many of these people, where death is around every corner and the subway is a one way ride to hell. I'm not going to tell people how to parent. Every kid is different, every parent-child relationship is different. If you don't think your kids can handle being unsupervised, safely and in a way that you're comfortable with, fine. That's your judgment call.
But, really, kids don't actually get abducted from the subway, or at all by strangers, very often. By the time they're in 5th grade or so, most should be able manage to walk down a sidewalk without running out in front of traffic. This task should be at least as safe as being driven down the highway at 65 miles per hour.
I thought this was what all of those gated and limited access road suburban communities were all about. Safe! Cul-de-sacs! Children outside playing!
I live in the urban hellhole, a place that looms large in the imagination of many of these people, where death is around every corner and the subway is a one way ride to hell. I'm not going to tell people how to parent. Every kid is different, every parent-child relationship is different. If you don't think your kids can handle being unsupervised, safely and in a way that you're comfortable with, fine. That's your judgment call.
But, really, kids don't actually get abducted from the subway, or at all by strangers, very often. By the time they're in 5th grade or so, most should be able manage to walk down a sidewalk without running out in front of traffic. This task should be at least as safe as being driven down the highway at 65 miles per hour.
Affluenza
Money doesn't solve all problems, but there's something gross about the idea that there's something peculiarly different about the difficulties of growing up rich.
The poors never feel the special feels that the rich do, that acute loneliness is never felt by the kids whose parent is working 70 hours per week. The rich have special feels.
Michael M. Thomas, a former investment banker and a novelist of Wall Street manners, said that if he were ever to write a book about his own privileged upbringing, he would title it “Orphans With Parents.” Meaning that despite the private clubs, the best schools and all the many things that money can buy, there has always been for those born into this world a sense of acute loneliness that can strain ties with parents and mark a child forever.
The poors never feel the special feels that the rich do, that acute loneliness is never felt by the kids whose parent is working 70 hours per week. The rich have special feels.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Fantasyland
I read enough newspaper comments to know that a lot of people actually believe this stuff. It's on teevee, after all.
I guess the thing I don't get is that for a country of people who mostly don't give a shit about what goes on in the rest of the world, we sure do love to obsess about some bullshit version of it.
Go back to just ignoring it.
I guess the thing I don't get is that for a country of people who mostly don't give a shit about what goes on in the rest of the world, we sure do love to obsess about some bullshit version of it.
Go back to just ignoring it.
Supremos
They're gonna take on the same sex marriage issue. I guess I won't make any predictions, because they're hard, but hopefully they do the right thing.
No one law or court ruling is going to suddenly make equality for queer people a reality, any more than any of them have managed to do so for racial or gender equality, but the right marriage equality ruling would essentially enshrine, conceptually if not in all particulars of law or of course behavior, that queer people are actual human beings in our country. That'd be progress.
No one law or court ruling is going to suddenly make equality for queer people a reality, any more than any of them have managed to do so for racial or gender equality, but the right marriage equality ruling would essentially enshrine, conceptually if not in all particulars of law or of course behavior, that queer people are actual human beings in our country. That'd be progress.
Progress
Time to roll this stuff back.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without evidence that a crime occurred.
Do Any Of These People Ever Leave The Country
I suppose it's just another edition of the endless stupid or lying question.
Except, you know, not.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a potential candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, will give a speech Monday in London and reiterate the disputed claim that Muslim immigrants have created "no-go zones" in Europe where non-Muslims are not welcome.
An advance text of Jindal's speech, circulated by his office, warns that Islamic radicals are fomenting anti-Western sentiment in "no-go zones" where they rule themselves by Islamic religious law, not the laws of their host nations.
Except, you know, not.
Good Luck, Kansas!
I'm not someone who thinks that Democrats are always perfect and wonderful, but there is a cycle in state politics that allows Republicans to slash and loot and then leave the likely Democratic successor trying to figure out how to pay the bills.
It really is the perpetual story of New Jersey. Christine Todd Whitman was the awesomest, and that awesomeness was paid for by underfunding the pensions. Rinse, repeat, everywhere.
It really is the perpetual story of New Jersey. Christine Todd Whitman was the awesomest, and that awesomeness was paid for by underfunding the pensions. Rinse, repeat, everywhere.
Nothing To See Here
Move along, folks.
Last year was the hottest in earth’s recorded history, scientists reported on Friday, underscoring scientific warnings about the risks of runaway emissions and undermining claims by climate-change contrarians that global warming had somehow stopped.
Conservatives Are The Only Ones Who Matter
There are never perfect cross-country comparisons in politics, but roughly speaking UKIP is the UK's Tea Party, though unlike our Tea Party it is a real party and not just the conservative wing of the conservative party. They get massive amounts of media attention, sort of like Sarah Palin's facebook page, while the Green Party gets ignored.
Because that's the way things work.
Because that's the way things work.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
We Promise
Putting a cap on Swiss Franc appreciation meant shorting it was a fairly safe, if not necessarily lucrative, bet. Take the lid away, and WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Fee fees have been hurt.
Fee fees have been hurt.
‘‘I would be astonished if we did not see more casualties,’’ Nick Parsons, the London-based head of research for the U.K. and Europe at National Australia Bank Ltd., said by phone from Sydney. ‘‘This was a 180-degree about turn by the SNB. People feel hurt and betrayed.’’
Who Would Report
If I saw a 10 and 6 year old walking down the street it would never occur to me to call the police. It wouldn't occur to me to call the police for a six year old, unless the kid appeared to be lost/distressed.
I can't remember if I walked to school when I was 6, but I know I did when I was 7. I also remember running around the neighborhood with my brother when we were 5 and 7 (actually I think it was 4 and 6 but I'm not quite sure). Probably "around the neighborhood" was a smaller zone than I remember, and probably my mother had more of an eye on me than I knew, but still.
I can't remember if I walked to school when I was 6, but I know I did when I was 7. I also remember running around the neighborhood with my brother when we were 5 and 7 (actually I think it was 4 and 6 but I'm not quite sure). Probably "around the neighborhood" was a smaller zone than I remember, and probably my mother had more of an eye on me than I knew, but still.
If Only There Were Some Shovel Ready Infrastructure Projects
I obsess about water main breaks because everybody agrees 90+ year old water systems need to be replaced, that flooding can do an immense amount of damage in a very short period of time, and unlike other "big" infrastructure projects they don't need elaborate EIRs or engineering studies. Dig up the road, replace pipe, repair road. Easy.
2015 Oscar Nominated Movies That I Have Seen
And I mean nominated for anything.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Lego Movie.
No I don't have children.
...oops, missed one:
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Lego Movie.
No I don't have children.
...oops, missed one:
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Our Freedom
Cuban travel restrictions are stupid for a lot of reasons, but a big one is that they are a restriction on our freedom by our government. And America is all about the freedom, people.
Sounds like it'll be easier than I thought when they first announced it.
Sounds like it'll be easier than I thought when they first announced it.
Morning Thread
Measles outbreak in San Diego. A health clinic needed to be evacuated. There is simply no excuse for the kind of idiocy that allows this to happen.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Probably Not
I love the urban hellhole and it doesn't lack a variety of decent shopping options, across a range of stuff, but I wouldn't exactly put it at the top of any lists...
Ladies Against Ladies
I'd guess there's a bit of a "Clinton effect" in this poll, that Republican respondents interpret the question as being about whether Clinton should be president, and that if the most prominent likely woman presidential candidate was a Republican the results would be a bit different, but still...
Unleaded
I'm pretty convinced of the lead/crime relationship. It might be false, but it's also such an obvious potential explanation that it really falls on critics to make an effort to disprove it.
But there's also my corollary which deserves some attention. Lead didn't turn everyone into violent criminals, but it probably turned a lot of people into tremendous rage-filled assholes.
But there's also my corollary which deserves some attention. Lead didn't turn everyone into violent criminals, but it probably turned a lot of people into tremendous rage-filled assholes.
Supervillains
It's quite impressive that the prisoners in Gitmo are the masterminds behind everything bad that happens in the world. Maybe it isn't a prison camp at all, but an Evil Lair Of Evil, a base of operations for all terrorism everywhere. If so, we probably should close it, no?
Wednesday, Wednesday
Some days I wake up, stare at the computer for a couple of hours, and still have nothing.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
MittensBot 4.0
Pretty sure he meant "tackling the poors" not "tackling poverty." A good thumping will do them good.
We Meant Pony. Catastrophic Herds Of Ponies.
Um whut?
WSDOT’s Todd Trepanier hardly disguised his irritation with the letter and the city council's subsequent line of questioning. "There never has been, and there is currently not, any risk of failure," he said. "That is a gross mischaracterization of that word ‘catastrophic’ in the report."
Didn't She Scratch A Backwards 'B' On Her Face Once?
Really, FBI, just stop this shit. There are some real criminals in the world.
Aging
It isn't very old and that isn't an excuse. Fix it?
Smoke and fire are not unusual on the aging subway system, which opened in 1976 and still uses some original rail cars. Metro's most recent quarterly safety report showed 86 incidents of smoke or fire in 2013 and 85 such incidents through the first eight months of 2014.
Who's Up Who's Up Who's Who's Down
The difficulty, especially during our glorious neverending presidential campaign season, is understanding that media coverage and narratives matter, while also trying point out that to a great degree they shouldn't matter.
Hopefully
I don't think we're at the point when wages are going to start surging, but we might be close. My local anecdata is my impression that local restaurants and similar are having to try a bit harder to hire people
Monday, January 12, 2015
Things Are Closer Than They Seem
One thing I've noticed over the past few years is that people have a really poor sense of distance. Regularly people write about ONE MILE as if it's some sort of extreme distance. A mile is a 22 minute leisurely walk, and you can certainly do it faster than that (obviously I'm talking about people who don't have mobility constraints).
So, yah, all things being equal, the closer the better, but a mile from a major transit station just isn't that far.
So, yah, all things being equal, the closer the better, but a mile from a major transit station just isn't that far.
What Could Go Wrong
Oil lending has been a surprising (to me) share of investment banking revenue.
Banks have been lending hand over fist to companies in the nation’s energy industry, underwriting bonds, advising on mergers, even financing the building of homes for oil workers. All of this has provided a boon to banks that have been struggling to find more companies and consumers wanting to borrow.
Yet with the price of crude oil falling below levels sufficient for some energy companies to service their huge debts, strains are being felt and defaults are likely. While it may take some time for the crunch in the oil industry to translate into losses, one thing already seems clear: The energy banking boom is over.
Perhaps Some Of These Ideas Could Have Been Mentioned In August
The allergy Dems have of to actually campaigning on anything is so weird.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Evening Thread
The zombie apocalypse has begun at my local Whole Foods. Don't say I didn't warn you.
For The Millionth Time, I Do Think Murder Is Bad
I do hate the game that gets played every time there's some horrific Islamic-linked terrorist attack, in which brave and noble pundits bravely and nobly declare that murder is bad and free speech is good, and then wonder why no one, especially those Muslims, agrees with them.
LEEAAAVE SAINT PETRAAEEUUS ALOOOOOOONE
Our criminal justice system is only meant for the little people.
Rich Kids
Yes rich kids can experience mental illness and drug problems. No they aren't responsible for the actions of their parents. Yes they deserve sympathy and treatment for these problems.
The issue is that...most kids aren't rich, and rich kids are much more likely to have the resources to get all of these things. They're also more likely to have people write sympathetic op-eds about them and avoid getting shoved into the criminal justice system at an early age.
The point isn't that rich kids don't deserve sympathy for their real problems, the point is our society gives them much more of it than it does anybody else.
The issue is that...most kids aren't rich, and rich kids are much more likely to have the resources to get all of these things. They're also more likely to have people write sympathetic op-eds about them and avoid getting shoved into the criminal justice system at an early age.
The point isn't that rich kids don't deserve sympathy for their real problems, the point is our society gives them much more of it than it does anybody else.
Trade
Affluenza is probably the country's most debilitating disease. Fortunately there's an easy solution...
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Nobody Could Have Predicted
Well, everyone.
SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - Florida authorities say George Zimmerman, whose acquittal of murdering an unarmed black teen sparked a national debate on race and self-defense laws, has been arrested on an aggravated assault charge.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Friday Superhero Movie Blogging
Not optimistic, but the idea of setting up an epic clash between supes and bats, and having Wonder Woman show up, and setting up the Justice League, and presumably actually having some sort of villain all within a 2-2.5 hour movie seemed liked a silly plan.
And I've said many times these kinds of things should be made as serials. Costs a lot to put together a team, make sets, and then mothball everything, only to come back to it a couple of years later. Take a year, make six 2 hour movies, release one every 4 months.
And I've said many times these kinds of things should be made as serials. Costs a lot to put together a team, make sets, and then mothball everything, only to come back to it a couple of years later. Take a year, make six 2 hour movies, release one every 4 months.
Saint Petraeus
Won't hold my breath, but..um what?
WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. and Justice Department prosecutors have recommended bringing felony charges against retired Gen. David H. Petraeus for providing classified information to his former mistress while he was director of the C.I.A., officials said, leaving Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to decide whether to seek an indictment that could send the pre-eminent military officer of his generation to prison.
Optimism!
I think the missing point here is that a special purpose consortium doesn't really care if it ceases to exist. It has one job, and if it isn't worth continuing it then it won't.
Everybody Wins
I'm sure there are some negative effect of the police deciding not to do their jobs, but also pretty sure that deciding to only make "necessary arrests" is a pretty big win!
Something Positive For A Change
Debt collectors can be evil.
The companies, which buy huge swaths of soured bills from lenders for pennies on the dollar, are deluging the courts with shoddy lawsuits, according to a review of debt collection lawsuits along with interviews with state judges and prosecutors.
As part of an effort to stamp out such practices, New York’s state attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, was expected to reach a settlement on Friday with a debt buyer, the Encore Capital Group, over concerns that the company filed thousands of flawed debt collection lawsuits against state residents, according to several people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Thursday, January 08, 2015
That Lanny J. Davis?
I was inclined to think our attorney general was being railroaded by the boys' club, but...
Shut Up Media Matters
Mike Huckabee is a genuinely nice guy so shutupShutupShutUpSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP.
The Rich Are Horrible People #Notallrichpeople
I was at an event once with a bunch of wealthy people. They weren't superrich Wall Street rich, more like doctor rich, but they were pretty wealthy. It was a fundraising event, or more accurately an event for people an organization hoped to fundraise from. I would guess most of these people would have described themselves as liberal and would vote for Democrats, but the dinner conversation was horrible. They were horrible people who had nothing but contempt for the poors.
Tribal
I know the standard narrative is that Republicans oppose doing anything about climate change because it would be so cruel and costly to the jayyuuuuub creaaaturz. But really it's just a tribal thing. Hippie libturds care about climate change, so Republicans have to oppose doing anything about it, except maybe making sure rich coastal landowners continue to get subsidized insurance. Because freedom.
No More Boxer
California's good senator is not going to run again in 2016. Hopefully someone good does.
It Is, Indeed, Cold
At this outside temperature the furnace sees the thermostat setting as aspirational.
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Cat Soup
I get pretty amused by the regular appearance of "cats are murderous sociopaths!" articles. I have no interest in the dogs vs. cats vs. nothing argument. Like dogs? Great! Like cats! Great! Think having animals in the house is disgusting? Great! Personal preference is allowed.
I've had cats most of my life. Some have been a bit feral - they started life as barn cats or similar. Some have just been weirdo jerks. And some have been as affectionate as people imagine dogs are. One of my current cats spends most of the day trying to sleep between me and my laptop (and I let him succeed most of the time). The other runs up to bed at night as soon as I do and stays there most of the night.
Anyway, the point is that the little murderous sociopaths do a pretty good job of pretending they like to be around me, even when I don't have the can opener handy.
I've had cats most of my life. Some have been a bit feral - they started life as barn cats or similar. Some have just been weirdo jerks. And some have been as affectionate as people imagine dogs are. One of my current cats spends most of the day trying to sleep between me and my laptop (and I let him succeed most of the time). The other runs up to bed at night as soon as I do and stays there most of the night.
Anyway, the point is that the little murderous sociopaths do a pretty good job of pretending they like to be around me, even when I don't have the can opener handy.
Everything Is The Big Dig
Any time there is some sort of overpriced boondoggle infrastructure project it gets compared to Boston's Big Dig project. Sure, there's plenty to criticize about the cost overruns, how it was managed, construction problems, delays, etc... That's a lot to criticize! But what too often gets lost is that the Big Dig was a good, if imperfect, project. Whether or not it was "worth it" is too complicated of a question, but ultimately the result is pretty good.
We Don't Need No Stinking Planning
There's something still amusingly quaint about the great Unsigned Editorial, the pronouncement from on high from our betters about how they world does and should work. In their archetypal form, they're utterly pompous and usually quite impervious to facts, railing against straw and the voices in their heads as they ignore actual expertise.
But, anyway, I gather some "naysayers" in Seattle think that maybe there should be some sort of 'plan B' for the tunnel just in case that Viaduct has to close. Probably some of those critics don't really think the Viaduct closing will signal the end of civilization in Seattle as we know it, but the tunnel was sold on the idea that it needed to be replaced with something.
And as for who's going to pay the bill, one has to be a bit naive to believe that "accountability from the mega-contractors consortium of Seattle Tunnel Partners" is something that will ever happen. The nice thing about a special purpose consortium is it just can declare bankruptcy in the night and just disappear. What else was it for?
But, anyway, I gather some "naysayers" in Seattle think that maybe there should be some sort of 'plan B' for the tunnel just in case that Viaduct has to close. Probably some of those critics don't really think the Viaduct closing will signal the end of civilization in Seattle as we know it, but the tunnel was sold on the idea that it needed to be replaced with something.
And as for who's going to pay the bill, one has to be a bit naive to believe that "accountability from the mega-contractors consortium of Seattle Tunnel Partners" is something that will ever happen. The nice thing about a special purpose consortium is it just can declare bankruptcy in the night and just disappear. What else was it for?
Data is Data
As Krugman says, this doesn't prove increased government spending has been better for countries over the last few years, but it certainly doesn't suggest the opposite.
Since everybody thinks they're really smart when they say "correlation does not imply causation," usually without quite knowing what it means, people tend to shy away from just doing simple regressions and instead do something worse... pick an example and tell a story. That isn't even data, that's just anecdote!
Since everybody thinks they're really smart when they say "correlation does not imply causation," usually without quite knowing what it means, people tend to shy away from just doing simple regressions and instead do something worse... pick an example and tell a story. That isn't even data, that's just anecdote!
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Stop Shoveling
Yes we're responsible for shoveling our little stretches of sidewalks, so in theory people should shovel, but given the temperature - warm enough that people walking on the snow will cause melting, cold enough that it'll freeze up pretty quickly - and given that there's already an icy layer at the bottom everywhere that can't be shoveled, it's really better to not shovel unless you have some salt to throw down too.
E.T.
I tend to think that at this point if "only" microscopic and/or single cell life is detected elsewhere it'll be greeted with a big "meh" by most people. Not saying that's the right response - I would consider it to be a tremendous discovery - but still think most people would just shrug.
Who Gets Stuck With The Bill
Things are really going to get fun when the fight over Bertha-related cost overruns begins. Seattle muckety mucks embraced building a tunnel which is essentially a Seattle Bypass and they're gonna get stuck with the bill..
Heckuva job.
Heckuva job.
Plunge, Euro, Plunge!
With a little luck there will be some travel to Yurp in the not too distant future, so let it fall, let it fall, let it fall...
Monday, January 05, 2015
The Swedish Way
Uh, dude, you can shop, cook, and clean even if your breasts don't produce milk and stinky diapers give you the sad.
Sweden does it right. There give so much paid maternity/paternity leave that I won't even tell you how much because you'll start crying hysterically. The "catch" is that they mandate that it is split between the two parents. Not a 50/50 split, but one parent can't take all of it. The point is that in practice the Dad takes some paternity leave all by himself and therefore is nudged into getting some experience being the primary caregiver for a bit.
Sweden does it right. There give so much paid maternity/paternity leave that I won't even tell you how much because you'll start crying hysterically. The "catch" is that they mandate that it is split between the two parents. Not a 50/50 split, but one parent can't take all of it. The point is that in practice the Dad takes some paternity leave all by himself and therefore is nudged into getting some experience being the primary caregiver for a bit.
Philadelphia's Worst Human
Chris Satullo.
Yes that's old, too, but I somehow managed to miss it (or maybe I just blocked it out) when it first appeared.
Yes that's old, too, but I somehow managed to miss it (or maybe I just blocked it out) when it first appeared.
I'll Have What They're Smoking
This is a few weeks old, but I forgot about my Xanadu American Dream obsession for awhile.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The New York tourist market is massive and the eventual completion of American Dream Meadowlands will bring some of those tourists to New Jersey year round.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Win Win Win
Activists: Please stop abusing your authority.
Police: We'll show you by stopping abusing our authority!!! Only necessary arrests from now on!
Activists: Um ok, I guess you win?
Police: We'll show you by stopping abusing our authority!!! Only necessary arrests from now on!
Activists: Um ok, I guess you win?
For a second straight week, New York City police officers sharply cut back on their actions in the street, arresting less than half as many people and writing more than 90 percent fewer summonses than in the same period a year ago.
The slowdown built on a drastic drop in activity that began shortly after the murder of two uniformed patrol officers in Brooklyn on Dec. 20, and continued across all 77 precincts in the city.
The Hitting Is Fine, Just Not The Running
Advice to NYC drivers: you won't be prosecuted for killing people unless you flee the scene, so don't do that.
...for example.
...for example.
Oily
I would guess (as in, I'm making it up and have not crunched numbers) the Texas economy will take a hit if oil prices stay low. The fracking economy in my state will likely also take a hit. No fan of the fracking, but it has provided some economic opportunity in places that haven't had much of it in recent decades.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Nobody Goes There Anymore, It's Too Crowded
Prices in Manhattan are nuts.
The number of units coming to market at the so-called “entry level,” defined by prices at less than $1,700 a square foot, is also expected to rise. More than 800 units in this category are expected to enter the market in 2015, up from 306 in 2014. One-bedrooms in this segment were selling for an average of $1.19 million in the third quarter of 2014, based on contracts signed. The overall market share in this category is forecast to remain steady, with entry-level units making up just 13 percent of the new-development pie.
The System Has Tremendous Capacity If You Don't Worry Much About The People
Always hate when people start falling down the PRT rabbit hole, the mass transit system which leaves out the 'mass' part, or in this case leaves out the 'people' part almost entirely.
Even if we fully buy the basic technology and cost claims (I don't), the capacity claims are just absurd. They claim the capacity of the system is 11,000 hour. I'm sure if you run automated pods around a track without letting people get on and off that'd be achievable. You could also run subways at 2 second headways if you didn't have to worry about boarding too. That would imply an immense capacity! If only you could fill those empty trains...
The only way to get close to that is to double-triple-quadruple track on immense boarding platforms. People actually take up space, and take time to exit and enter vehicles. Suddenly that footprint isn't so small anymore. Also, too, your boarding system has to be ADA compliant so you gotta pay for all of those elevators.
Subways at peak times (rush hour, events) face boarding problems, and everybody gets to board at once! Not, you know, two at a time, waiting for the car in front of you to depart before yours can get on its way.
It's just a Jetsons idea, mass transit for people who don't like the idea of mass transit. An automated taxi system that would have the kind of coverage they claim (you'll only have to walk 1/8 of a mile to a stop!) and the capacity they claim would be tremendously expensive, even if it roughly can work as claimed.
Even if we fully buy the basic technology and cost claims (I don't), the capacity claims are just absurd. They claim the capacity of the system is 11,000 hour. I'm sure if you run automated pods around a track without letting people get on and off that'd be achievable. You could also run subways at 2 second headways if you didn't have to worry about boarding too. That would imply an immense capacity! If only you could fill those empty trains...
The only way to get close to that is to double-triple-quadruple track on immense boarding platforms. People actually take up space, and take time to exit and enter vehicles. Suddenly that footprint isn't so small anymore. Also, too, your boarding system has to be ADA compliant so you gotta pay for all of those elevators.
Subways at peak times (rush hour, events) face boarding problems, and everybody gets to board at once! Not, you know, two at a time, waiting for the car in front of you to depart before yours can get on its way.
It's just a Jetsons idea, mass transit for people who don't like the idea of mass transit. An automated taxi system that would have the kind of coverage they claim (you'll only have to walk 1/8 of a mile to a stop!) and the capacity they claim would be tremendously expensive, even if it roughly can work as claimed.
Sunday, Sunday
Somebody is wrong on the internet today and I admit I just can't be bothered.
Gonna be 60 degrees today. Someone tell Al to put down the donuts.
Gonna be 60 degrees today. Someone tell Al to put down the donuts.
Morning Thread
Things that make you say, oh fer cripe's sake, and go back to bed.
Oklahoma lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill this February that would make it illegal to wear hooded sweatshirts, or “hoodies,” in public, according to a report from Oklahoma’s Channel 6 News.
Can't regulate guns, but by gum, they can regulate hoodies.
via Zandar at Balloon Juice
Oklahoma lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill this February that would make it illegal to wear hooded sweatshirts, or “hoodies,” in public, according to a report from Oklahoma’s Channel 6 News.
Can't regulate guns, but by gum, they can regulate hoodies.
via Zandar at Balloon Juice
Life Is A Tire Swing
Huckabee is a bigger asshole than Santorum, and that's an accomplishment!
But he's a really nice guy.
Saturday, January 03, 2015
He Speaks Furrin'
The last thing we need is people in our security state who have knowledge of the language and customs of other cultures.
Sorcerer terrorists, every one.
Best to promote the horrible stupid people who are completely useless.
Sorcerer terrorists, every one.
Best to promote the horrible stupid people who are completely useless.
Saturday Happy Hour
Braved the rain to do some shopping. Sadly the pickle shop was already closing up :(.
Saturday Crass Commercialism
The teevee show that I actually really liked this year that I didn't expect to was Fargo. I gather critics liked it, but it didn't get all that much attention so it sat on my DVR for several months before I watched it.
It is basically a remake of the movie in an expanded TV series format. Not precisely, of course, but close. It works really well, and it's always fun to see Billy Bob Thornton doing the full Billy Bob.
It is basically a remake of the movie in an expanded TV series format. Not precisely, of course, but close. It works really well, and it's always fun to see Billy Bob Thornton doing the full Billy Bob.
Looks Like Gay People Did Manage To Ruin Marriage
In Florida, at least, where apparently lots of people who work in local government are the worst people in the world.
The Good Old Days Of That Taliban Spiritual Movement
I really can't keep up with changing narratives about the Taliban.
Other Countries Are So Wacky
First we learned that some Muslims think it's a bit of an insult to their "honor" when soldiers beat in their doors and point guns at their families, and now we find out that some of them are into fortune telling!!!
Other cultures are so crazy and weird.
Other cultures are so crazy and weird.
Friday, January 02, 2015
Unfortunately
I have no idea how this happened.
...adding, if the existing tunnels go then say goodbye to the economy of northern NJ.
Now, Chris Christie thinks the region needs to do more about cross-Hudson rail capacity.
“Unfortunately, options for crossing the Hudson River have not kept pace with this population growth," reads a report endorsed by Christie and Governor Andrew Cuomo.
...adding, if the existing tunnels go then say goodbye to the economy of northern NJ.
Horrible Forever
Lord Weisberg was always horrible.
...adding, it's a good reminder of just how much contempt "eventheliberals" had for anything resembling liberalism in the 90s.
heckuva job, all.
...adding, it's a good reminder of just how much contempt "eventheliberals" had for anything resembling liberalism in the 90s.
heckuva job, all.
Still Capable Of Learning
It's nice to realize that you are, though it also highlights that you used to be an idiot. So it's a mixed blessing.
Anyway, my hope is that the tide continues to turn (it has, I think, if slowly) against the mass incarceration project this country has been engaged in for decades. It isn't that I wasn't aware of it as a problem before, it's that I now have a much greater sense of how it's the nexus of a whole system of racist horror. Let's fix it.
Anyway, my hope is that the tide continues to turn (it has, I think, if slowly) against the mass incarceration project this country has been engaged in for decades. It isn't that I wasn't aware of it as a problem before, it's that I now have a much greater sense of how it's the nexus of a whole system of racist horror. Let's fix it.
The Bill Is Due
Older cities face massive repair bills for things like sidewalks. They last a long time, but not forever...
If only there were some shovel ready projects.
If only there were some shovel ready projects.
John Hinderaker Is an Ass
Powerline Puppy John Hinderaker assures us:
A “weapon intended only to kill en masse” might be, say, an atomic bomb, certainly not a semiautomatic rifle.He says this, presumably, because he either doesn't believe semi-automatic rifles are capable of dispatching double digit numbers of schoolchildren, or else he believes that semi-automatic rifles are some class of household necessity, like pencil sharpeners, shivs, or hand grenades. Fuck him sideways anyhow.
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Mummered
String bands are really the only thing worth watching in the parade, and they were 90 minutes+ late so I gave up. Too cold. Fortunately only 2 blocks away.
So Much For All That Overtime
Brooklyn really would be a horrible place for a political convention, so consider yourselves lucky if it doesn't happen..
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