Saturday, February 07, 2015
Um, What?
I do not think Philadelphia is what you think it is.
Not that it's the only measure of diversity, but Philly is 44% black/37% white. Brooklyn is 55% white, 34% black.
Not that it's the only measure of diversity, but Philly is 44% black/37% white. Brooklyn is 55% white, 34% black.
The Big Money
One thing that's maddening is that if individuals, without shell companies, try to move large amounts of money around they're going to get noticed. Quickly.
Corporations aren't just people, they're very special people.
They have been able to make these multimillion-dollar purchases with few questions asked because of United States laws that foster the movement of largely untraceable money through shell companies.
Corporations aren't just people, they're very special people.
Remarkable Character
As I've written before, many people have tried to explain to me the realpolitik of our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and I just don't get it.
And, whenever I write something like that, people condescendingly write in to tell me "it's obvious" or similar. If it was so obvious everyone wouldn't be telling me different things.
I think I understand the quasi-official State Department reasoning, but it's still fucking absurd.
And, whenever I write something like that, people condescendingly write in to tell me "it's obvious" or similar. If it was so obvious everyone wouldn't be telling me different things.
I think I understand the quasi-official State Department reasoning, but it's still fucking absurd.
Maybe That Wasn't Such A Good Idea After All
We're not quite responsible for everything that happens Iraq the way we arguably were a few years ago, but the consequences of W's grand Middle Eastern adventure continue.
BAGHDAD — Explosions killed at least 36 people in Baghdad on Saturday, hours before the government planned to lift a nighttime curfew because of what officials had said was improved security.
Instead, Baghdad faced one of its bloodiest days in months. By about 2 p.m., blasts from planted devices and explosives set off by a suicide bomber had torn through markets and commercial strips in three neighborhoods, according to the Interior Ministry. At least 70 people were wounded, officials said.
Friday, February 06, 2015
Mini Movie Review
Jupiter Ascending: Ok, not great, but fun visuals and certainly better than those crap Transformers movies that make billions of dollars.
Remember When He Was The Smart Wonky One
Probably smart enough to know when to get out of town, at least.
Louisiana’s budget shortfall is projected to reach $1.6 billion next year and to remain in that ballpark for a while. The downturn in oil prices has undoubtedly worsened the problem, forcing midyear cuts to the current budget. But economists, policy experts and lawmakers of both parties, pointing out that next year’s projected shortfall was well over a billion dollars even when oil prices were riding high, turn to a primary culprit: the fiscal policy pushed by the Jindal administration and backed by the State Legislature.
“Is he responsible for the full $1.6 billion?” Mr. Scott asked. “I’d say no. But I’d say he’s responsible for the order of magnitude.”
Thursday, February 05, 2015
What's One More War
I don't claim to know how to solve all the world's problems, but arming everyone and letting God sort it out hasn't worked very well lately.
Defensive weapons.
The Obama administration’s hope is that its widely reported deliberations over whether to send defensive weapons to Ukraine and about additional economic sanctions will induce Russia to agree to a halt in the fighting and, ultimately, to a political agreement within the framework of the Minsk accord.
Defensive weapons.
All Those Roads
Whether or not you agree with my transportation priorities, it is nuts that we spend that much money on new road construction, given the need for repairs.
Rare
It's rare for cops to face even the possibility of justice for abuses, so it's worth noting when it does happen.
Disrupting The Purity Of Our Body
This isn't surprising, as one of the big narratives underlying anti-immigration views is the idea that "illegals" somehow carry dirt and disease and disrupt the purity of our country. It isn't always this literal, but there is a basic belief that the purity of our essence is being tainted.
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Shocking
I, for one, am utterly shocked that Brian Williams, of all people, has apparently acted like an absolute wanker. He always seemed so butch.
Shit Is Fucked Up And Bullshit
Glad Natasha (who I know a bit) got the care she needed, but women shouldn't have to worry about which religion is governing their hospital when they go in to get the treatment they need.
Introversion
Blogging is a weird job for someone who is basically an introvert. There are moments when I just have nothing to say.
Net Neutrality Victory
Details going forward will of course matter, but this seems like as big of a victory as could have been hoped for.
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Just Add Boom
Nobody could have predicted...
Chaos in Yemen has left the US military unable to monitor the vast arsenal it has spent years providing to its Yemeni counterpart.
Supplements
It's one thing to allow various supplements with unproven health benefits to be sold. It's quite another to allow companies to commit fraud by lying about what they're actually selling to you.
Think extract of turtle shell is good for you? Fine. But there had better be some damn turtle shell in there.
The authorities said they had conducted tests on top-selling store brands of herbal supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart — and found that four out of five of the products did not contain any of the herbs on their labels. The tests showed that pills labeled medicinal herbs often contained little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants, and in some cases substances that could be dangerous to those with allergies.
Think extract of turtle shell is good for you? Fine. But there had better be some damn turtle shell in there.
Not A Booster
I don't really care if the DNC is in Philly, but my inner "this is how it should be" nerd thinks it should be. I've been to a couple of these things now and know how the security/logistics works, and Philly really is the sensible location. I'm not talking about the best place for the "optics" or the Liberty Bell is here kinda stuff, just the practical things. The arena is close to Center City, accessible by subway, but positioned so that a security perimeter wouldn't make lives miserable for a lot of people/businesses. And we have enough mass transit accessible hotels to handle the whole mess.
The Good Life
But he's really cute when he yells at people.
King Abdullah of Jordan picked up the tab for a Christie family weekend at the end of the trip. The governor and two staff members who accompanied him came back to New Jersey bubbling that they had celebrated with Bono, the lead singer of U2, at three parties, two at the king’s residence, the other a Champagne reception in the desert. But a small knot of aides fretted: The rooms in luxurious Kempinski hotels had cost about $30,000; what would happen if that became public?
Monday, February 02, 2015
Weird Winter
The temperatures have been all over the place this year. 40s one day, down into the teens the next, etc. Someone take away the Ice Princess from Al Gore.
ARC'd
Plenty of transit nerds I know thought that ARC was a pretty bad project, relative to the platonic ideal. I never quite understood the complaints (nothing is perfect, the flaws didn't seem so bad), but I accept that there are people who have greater transit nerd-fu than I do. Still, whatever the merits of the criticisms, there was a plan. It was in place. There was money for a giant mass transit project, something which is almost impossible to achieve these days. And then Christie killed it.
The transit nerds argued that a better project will be just around the corner. And, you know, maybe it will! But it's 2015! Not there yet! And maybe the Hudson tunnels will collapse, in which case the region is totally fucked.
The transit nerds argued that a better project will be just around the corner. And, you know, maybe it will! But it's 2015! Not there yet! And maybe the Hudson tunnels will collapse, in which case the region is totally fucked.
We Did Something That Worked
Aside from the grossness of the cavalier willingness to put children, including their own, at risk of illness and death, there's a tremendous risk of rolling back one of our great successes. We eradicated and nearly eradicated diseases! I have a smallpox vaccination scar. The kids today do not. We beat that bastard.
All About The Children
What a country.
Wolfson, an Arizona cardiologist, refuses to vaccinate his two young sons. He said the family that didn't vaccinate and endangered the Jacks children did nothing wrong.
"It's not my responsibility to inject my child with chemicals in order for [a child like Maggie] to be supposedly healthy," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's very likely that her leukemia is from vaccinations in the first place."
"I'm not going to sacrifice the well-being of my child. My child is pure," he added. "It's not my responsibility to be protecting their child."
...
"I could live with myself easily," he said. "It's an unfortunate thing that people die, but people die. I'm not going to put my child at risk to save another child."
I've Wanted To Close Those Bridges For A Long Time
Oy.
Amid an outbreak of measles that has spread across 14 states, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey on Monday said that parents “need to have some measure of choice” about vaccinating their children against the virus, breaking with President Obama and much of the medical profession.
In remarks here, Mr. Christie stopped short of recommending that parents immunize their children against measles, or any other illness, calling for “balance” and “choice.”
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Happy Hour
I guess I better check the listings, I heard a rumor that there is an important game to be played tonight. Wonder what it could be? Curling championships?
Elites Don't Use Transit
Plenty of well off people do, actually, but most of the people who control our discourse and policies don't.
I don't even know how it's possible to be a long time resident of a major city with a significant mass transit system and to have never used it, but it is.
(h/t milesgrant)
I don't even know how it's possible to be a long time resident of a major city with a significant mass transit system and to have never used it, but it is.
(h/t milesgrant)
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