Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Any Day Now
Really really close.
The technology will get better and better and closer and closer, but until these scenarios are not an issue these things will just be annoying to use. The focus on the hardest problems - like anywhere-to-anywhere taxi service - is just bizarre to me. Well, maybe not. Other workable applications are basically driverless buses (quasi-fixed route services) and while there might be some useful applications for that...just not that many.
And then there's the public. It's an open question about whether the public is ready to adopt robotic cars. Even if they're open to the idea — and Waymo's data suggests about half of them are — they're likely to have plenty of questions about how they will use such cars, how they will work, and how they will handle particular driving scenarios.
In that area alone, Waymo seems to have a lot of work to do. When asked by reporters how its cars would handle particular situations like obstacles in the road that might block traffic, representatives gave conflicting answers. One even suggested that the cars might not move until an obstruction — a moving van that was double parked, say — were cleared out of the way.
The technology will get better and better and closer and closer, but until these scenarios are not an issue these things will just be annoying to use. The focus on the hardest problems - like anywhere-to-anywhere taxi service - is just bizarre to me. Well, maybe not. Other workable applications are basically driverless buses (quasi-fixed route services) and while there might be some useful applications for that...just not that many.
What The Fuck Do You Think A Propaganda Network Is For
I'll allow that their Trump coverage has notched it up a bit, but only a bit.
Some employees at Fox News were left embarrassed and humiliated by their network's coverage of the latest revelations in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, according to conversations CNN had with several individuals placed throughout the network.
"I'm watching now and screaming," one Fox News personality said in a text message to CNN as the person watched their network's coverage. "I want to quit."
Bless You
No, nobody ever (seriously) suggested to Salena Zito that anyone objected to people saying "God bless you" after a sneeze. This is backwards 'B' carving territory.
I spend all of my social time with godless heathen atheists and probably all of them say "bless you" and some of them (probably? I wouldn't even notice because...I wouldn't even notice) say "God bless you" and more to the point no one would notice if anybody else brought the Inquisition into the room by uttering the phrase. It's just one of those "polite" things that we do because we do them. (And, no, the root of this particular tradition doesn't matter. We say these things because we were brought up saying these things.)
Manufactured stories of conservatives being victimized by liberals is a weird genre. I guess the religion angle (really, it has nothing to do with religion) gives it some extra kick over the usual "liberals are mean to me at the dinner parties they always invite me to" stories. You know these stories are not true because we are liberals and we know that liberals do not actually see the world the way that conservatives think they do. Liberals would not say the words they put into our mouths in these tales of conservative martyrdom.
I spend all of my social time with godless heathen atheists and probably all of them say "bless you" and some of them (probably? I wouldn't even notice because...I wouldn't even notice) say "God bless you" and more to the point no one would notice if anybody else brought the Inquisition into the room by uttering the phrase. It's just one of those "polite" things that we do because we do them. (And, no, the root of this particular tradition doesn't matter. We say these things because we were brought up saying these things.)
Manufactured stories of conservatives being victimized by liberals is a weird genre. I guess the religion angle (really, it has nothing to do with religion) gives it some extra kick over the usual "liberals are mean to me at the dinner parties they always invite me to" stories. You know these stories are not true because we are liberals and we know that liberals do not actually see the world the way that conservatives think they do. Liberals would not say the words they put into our mouths in these tales of conservative martyrdom.
How Will I Tell The Children That We're Canceling Tony Podesta Celebration Day
An amusing thing about the right is that they don't understand the left at all. 95% of their politics is motivated by pissing of liberals, and they have no idea what pisses off liberals. OK the racism and the homophobia and kicking poor people and similar pisses off liberals, but they're not into that *because* it pisses off liberals, they're just racist homophobes who like to kick poor people. Most of the rest is just PWWWWWWNED LIBTURDS and we just point and laugh because they're idiots.
The latest thing is that conservatives think Dems give a shit about what happens to Tony Podesta, or even know who Tony Podesta is. 99% of the people who "know" who Tony Podesta is think he's John Podesta, the brother. I don't know or care what Tony Podesta's personal politics are, but he's basically a shady lobbyist who operates in the bipartisan world of DC shady lobbying. There are good lobbyists who work for interest groups (environmental, etc.) who obviously have some ideological affiliation, but big lobbyists for hire are bipartisan mercenaries. It's a job, and often a gross one, like being an attorney for Harvey Weinstein.
I suppose he has some elite pals in DC (including, but likely not just, people on the D side of things) who might be sad if he gets locked up and, who knows, maybe Gramps (see recent tweets) is right that he'll bring a bunch of Dems down with him.
And then most of us will cheer. If they're corrupt, get rid of them. It isn't the same thing, though it's the most recent "guilty Dem" thing I can think of, but while Dems weren't thrilled when Anthony Weiner got busted, people were mad that he did it, not that he got busted for it. Lock him up! Oh, they did.
The latest thing is that conservatives think Dems give a shit about what happens to Tony Podesta, or even know who Tony Podesta is. 99% of the people who "know" who Tony Podesta is think he's John Podesta, the brother. I don't know or care what Tony Podesta's personal politics are, but he's basically a shady lobbyist who operates in the bipartisan world of DC shady lobbying. There are good lobbyists who work for interest groups (environmental, etc.) who obviously have some ideological affiliation, but big lobbyists for hire are bipartisan mercenaries. It's a job, and often a gross one, like being an attorney for Harvey Weinstein.
I suppose he has some elite pals in DC (including, but likely not just, people on the D side of things) who might be sad if he gets locked up and, who knows, maybe Gramps (see recent tweets) is right that he'll bring a bunch of Dems down with him.
And then most of us will cheer. If they're corrupt, get rid of them. It isn't the same thing, though it's the most recent "guilty Dem" thing I can think of, but while Dems weren't thrilled when Anthony Weiner got busted, people were mad that he did it, not that he got busted for it. Lock him up! Oh, they did.
The Great Game
I'm not going lend any support for the idea that George Papadopoulos was just some young volunteer as Gramps wants us to believe, but it is quite clear that most of these people (not Manafort, he knows what he's doing) are completely in over their heads. Must have been heady, thinking you were moving the pieces around the global chess board, being a part of some super powerful inner circle. And he didn't exactly grow up in Northern Virginia surrounded by this stuff. He fell backwards into it somehow. Must have really felt special.
And what kind of dumbass lies to the FBI over easily checkable things? I don't even like the "lying to the FBI is a crime" thing. It pretty much ensures they can prosecute anyone if they really want to. Almost anything can be made to seem like a lie. But George Papadopoulos lied bigly!
And what kind of dumbass lies to the FBI over easily checkable things? I don't even like the "lying to the FBI is a crime" thing. It pretty much ensures they can prosecute anyone if they really want to. Almost anything can be made to seem like a lie. But George Papadopoulos lied bigly!
Monday, October 30, 2017
What's It All About Then
It's what it's always been about.
Why would he be concerned about that? If he were anyone but Trump I would ask, why is he stupid enough to admit to be concerned about that?
Trump has become increasingly concerned that the Mueller probe could be moving beyond Russia to an investigation into his personal dealings, two people familiar with the president’s thinking said. Trump expressed irritation Monday morning that he was being tarnished by his former aides.
Why would he be concerned about that? If he were anyone but Trump I would ask, why is he stupid enough to admit to be concerned about that?
Closing In On What?
I'm of course open to the idea that zealous prosecutors can make life miserable for people who really didn't do anything wrong, possibly justified as necessary in the course of trying to get the actual wrongdoers. But if people are freaking out, it's fair to ask...just what are they freaking out about?
But Trump’s anger Monday was visible to those who interacted with him, and the mood in the corridors of the White House was one of weariness and fear of the unknown. As the president groused upstairs, many staffers — some of whom have hired lawyers to help them navigate Mueller’s investigation — privately speculated about where the special counsel might turn next.
“The walls are closing in,” said one senior Republican in close contact with top staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “Everyone is freaking out.”
And Jeffy Jeff
We all have our personal villains. Yours might not be the same as mine. But Jeffy Jeff has done enough bad things in his life to other people that I feel no shame in saying I would be delighted if this causes him any problems.
This Is How We Communicate Now
Quoting tweets. But, yes, wow.
hfs, Mueller got a judge to find a waiver of Manafort's attorney-client privilege under the crime-fraud exception https://t.co/LVhKZxfG9L
— Popehat (@Popehat) October 30, 2017
Judge makes lawyer testify about what client told lawyer based on finding client consulted lawyer in order to commit fraud.
— Popehat (@Popehat) October 30, 2017
The Wire
Above my pay grade, but a bunch of people pointed out that this likely means GP was wearing a wire.
"Public disclosure of of the defendant's initial appearance, however, would significantly undermine his ability to serve as a proactive cooperator [my bold]," prosecutors wrote in the motion to seal. "In addition, public disclosure of defendant's arrest and and the accompanying criminal charges may alert other subjects to the direction and status of the investigation."
But Speaking Of Tweets
I wonder if Gramps's lawyers are going to be able to pull his phone away soon.
Obviously no one knew that Papadopoulos had flipped so they're busy rewriting the lies.
Obviously no one knew that Papadopoulos had flipped so they're busy rewriting the lies.
The Case Of The Missing Tweets
Jared Kushner deleted them all.
...Never mind. Apparently he never tweeted. I am a dumb blogger. I swear I remember that he had but obviously my brain is swiss cheese.
...Never mind. Apparently he never tweeted. I am a dumb blogger. I swear I remember that he had but obviously my brain is swiss cheese.
No Loyalty Among Trumpkins
Not that I think being loyal to the mob boss is an admirable quality, but it is no surprise that these backstabbing mercenaries can't wait to squeal on each other. One fascinating (if at times a bit too much of a diversion) thing about this administration generally is how it seemed like most of them spent all their time talking to journalists about how everybody else was horrible. That weirdly seems to have quieted down, a bit, lately, though whether that's Kelly's influence or the sudden realization that shit was about to get real I do not know. In any case, none of them have any loyalty, even to Trump. Would you go to jail longer than necessary for that guy?
Never Lie to the FBI
BREAKING: Former Trump campaign advisor George Papadopolous has pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents. pic.twitter.com/VXZKTOmK8m
— ABC News (@ABC) October 30, 2017
someone really needs to take Gramps's phone away. This is interesting.
Whoa. Statement of facts here for the George Papadopoulos guilty plea, via @MikeScarcella https://t.co/Yr4jMbUzzt pic.twitter.com/1ObAGOTsgg
— Chris McDaniel (@csmcdaniel) October 30, 2017
Really Dumb Ideas
I don't know why people are obsessed with the idea of "urban farming" generally, or "vertical farming" specifically. I'm not talking about small scale urban gardening, or restaurants growing things on the roofs, or using empty lots in places which are technically cities but which have had such depopulation that there is massive amounts of unused land (parts of Detroit, for example). I'm talking about the idea that it makes any sense at all to use the most expensive land in the country, using a very expensive cultivation method, to grow things which could be much more sensibly (and cheaply) grown 50 miles away. The idea that you could - or would want to - do this at a scale which would actually reclaim farmland, when in these types of places (the wider orbits) much of the farmland has already been lost to low density sprawl housing, makes it even more absurd. You can fit a lot of people in a nice skyscraper instead of growing a small amount of crops in the most expensive way imaginable (not everybody wants to live in a skyscraper, and I am not telling you to, but you're going to reclaim a lot more land by allow more tall buildings in certain places than you are by growing a few crops in a tower).
And, yes, there might be some reasonable applications of this, like super expensive delicate microgreens for high end restaurants! That isn't going to feed the world or reclaim any land though. They're luxury items. Fine, I guess, but... (and, again, you can probably just put gardens on the roofs).
And, yes, there might be some reasonable applications of this, like super expensive delicate microgreens for high end restaurants! That isn't going to feed the world or reclaim any land though. They're luxury items. Fine, I guess, but... (and, again, you can probably just put gardens on the roofs).
MANAFORT
I guess I was wrong!
I didn't doubt the news reports. I just thought there might be some behind the scenes maneuvering over the weekend to delay things at least.
I have always thought that if there were any crimes that would be prosecuted they wouldn't be about some shifting notion of "collusion" with Russia. They'd be about financial crimes. Trump's has problems with money laundering before! Amazing how that rarely came up in the campaign.
I didn't doubt the news reports. I just thought there might be some behind the scenes maneuvering over the weekend to delay things at least.
I have always thought that if there were any crimes that would be prosecuted they wouldn't be about some shifting notion of "collusion" with Russia. They'd be about financial crimes. Trump's has problems with money laundering before! Amazing how that rarely came up in the campaign.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Behind The Gates
Sure for the most part the gated community rich aren't living next to toxic waste dumps or otherwise highly polluted places, but those gates don't keep out everything. Given the way people describe the food at Trump properties, I'm pretty sure they're buying the "one day until expiration" produce at the wholesale produce warehouse, and not organic pesticide-free food grown on clouds and picked by angels. The rich eat this shit, too, whether or not they think so.
This chemical, chlorpyrifos, is hard to pronounce, so let’s just call it Dow Chemical Company’s Nerve Gas Pesticide. Even if you haven’t heard of it, it may be inside you: One 2012 study found that it was in the umbilical cord blood of 87 percent of newborn babies tested.
And now the Trump administration is embracing it, overturning a planned ban that had been in the works for many years.
Often Get They Culture War Wrong
One thing about the pundit focus on Real America (where glorious white people do white things in diners, or something) is that they just tend to assume that it benefits Republicans. Okay, to be fair, they tend to assume everything benefits Republicans, but the privileging of the mythical Real American And His Culture tends to lead them to think that every time Republicans throw some red meat to the base, a majority of the country claps. Sure people lie to pollsters and issues have different intensities for people. It could be good politics to do something even if a majority disapprove because it might not be an issue that those who disapprove care about much. But I don't think your typical white male Sunday morning panel guest, or David Brooks, really has his finger on the pulse of this Real America even if it exists.
I'm focusing on the football issue, specifically. I don't claim to have my finger on the pulse of Real America either, but I'd guess a lot of the people who disapprove of Trump's handling of the issue also don't really like the players kneeling during the anthem. Still, they probably get that Trump is injecting politics into their Sunday Funday much more than the players are. They want to run out and get a beer during the anthem, not feel like they have to stand there with more than the usual peer pressure to look patriotic. They don't want to have to argue about this shit while watching the game at the bar. They were probably mad at the players, but Trump made it worse.
I'm focusing on the football issue, specifically. I don't claim to have my finger on the pulse of Real America either, but I'd guess a lot of the people who disapprove of Trump's handling of the issue also don't really like the players kneeling during the anthem. Still, they probably get that Trump is injecting politics into their Sunday Funday much more than the players are. They want to run out and get a beer during the anthem, not feel like they have to stand there with more than the usual peer pressure to look patriotic. They don't want to have to argue about this shit while watching the game at the bar. They were probably mad at the players, but Trump made it worse.
Sunday, Sunday
I checked, and people who like Trump still like Trump. Just in case you were wondering.
Sunday Morning
Interesting post up at Balloon Juice. Short recap, we may never learn the full extent of the skullduggery of DOTUS's campaign because it would reveal classified information or compromise assets. The work around is to get them on money laundering and other criminal matters.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
President Clinton's In Trouble
“It’s time shut it down. Turn the tables and lock her up. That’s what I said, I actually said it: lock her up.” pic.twitter.com/uSaOuQsPkc
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) October 29, 2017
The Show That Never Ends
For most people, politics isn't actually a form of entertainment. I do think too many political junkies miss this point.
Saturday, Saturday
Busy with things so lazy blogging day. Has President Clinton been put in jail yet?
Friday, October 27, 2017
Happy Friday
Though, sorry to say, it's Hillary Clinton (I KEED).
Washington (CNN)A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter.
The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday, the sources said. It is unclear what the charges are.
MITTENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He's coming back to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—Senator Orrin Hatch has privately told allies in Utah that he is planning to retire at the end of his term next year, and if he does, Mitt Romney intends to run for his seat, according to five sources familiar with the situation.
Things It's OK To Say Now
This Brooks column is dumb like every other Brooks column, but we do have this.
The Republican senators went to the White House and saw a president so repetitive and rambling, some thought he might be suffering from early Alzheimer’s. But they know which way the wind is blowing. They gave him a standing ovation.
Often They Know More Than What They Say
Often less, but often more.
Moreover, when a congressional committee launches an investigation, oftent the news is that something is coming under scrutiny. But here’s what makes this uranium pseudo-scandal a perfect case study in how the sticky norms of political journalism are ill-equipped to expose a single party’s deep rot of bad faith: Republicans already hoodwinked the political media with the exact same uranium story before the presidential election, and everybody knows it.
Catalunya Lliure
And things continue to be interesting in Spain.
Catalonia has declared independence from Spain, ahead of a vote in the Senate which will see Madrid seize the region’s autonomous powers.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Ted Cruz's Dad Killed JFK
When they finally get released anything interesting won't be, so...
The U.S. government was in danger Thursday of missing the deadline to release a trove of previously classified records from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, adding an unexpected twist to a saga already rife with rumors and conspiracies.
I Doubt She Read The Summaries
This is pretty dumb as of course she didn't read the full reports.
It's a bit like complaining that members of Congress don't read the full text of bills. They're largely gibberish, referring back other legislation, striking this and replacing that, etc. Legislative staff exist to explain them to you. The real issue is I doubt May even read the summaries.
Theresa May was put on the spot today after David Davis suggested she had not bothered to read the “excruciating detail” of secret Whitehall studies into the impact of Brexit.
In an eyebrow-raising exchange with a Labour MP, Brexit Secretary Mr Davis said he thought Mrs May would only have read summaries of the assessments, but not an entire report.
It's a bit like complaining that members of Congress don't read the full text of bills. They're largely gibberish, referring back other legislation, striking this and replacing that, etc. Legislative staff exist to explain them to you. The real issue is I doubt May even read the summaries.
Vaporware
No one listens to me.
Maybe not. What followed were months of setbacks, delays, and in-house turmoil. A year later, there’s still no sign of Full Self Driving, and even the less ambitious “Enhanced Autopilot” hasn’t quite reached parity with an earlier, discontinued version. The head of Tesla’s Autopilot division left in January, and six months later his successor did, too. Meanwhile, Tesla owners who paid thousands of dollars for the options filed a class action lawsuit, alleging they were tricked into buying a feature that doesn’t exist and—in some cases—an unsafe car. Tesla has yet to formally respond to those disgruntled drivers who want refunds and punitive damages, and the case is currently in mediation.
Clinton-Weinstein
The extreme obsession with connections between the Clintons and Weinstein - somehow he morphed into the biggest Democratic donor in history (he wasn't) and Clinton's primary patron (he wasn't) - was a great trick. I don't have a problem with highlighting that there are horrible rich men no what their claimed politics is. It isn't a left/right issue. Of course even as every person remotely on the D side of the aisle was falling all over themselves to condemn Weinstein (genuinely or not, they did it!), the issue become "hurhur liberal hypocrites won't even condemn Weinstein so shutup about Bill O'Reilly!!!"
I bet few elite pundits (sure plenty of lower ranked journalists will - especially women who worked for him - just not Mark's jolly pals) will feel the need to do as they demanded of Clinton for days.
I bet few elite pundits (sure plenty of lower ranked journalists will - especially women who worked for him - just not Mark's jolly pals) will feel the need to do as they demanded of Clinton for days.
America's Worst Humans
Lisa Bloom.
I'm not diminishing the actual crimes and abuse behavior that the men engaged in, but the details of her actions...wow.
I'm not diminishing the actual crimes and abuse behavior that the men engaged in, but the details of her actions...wow.
401Ks Are Bad But The Estate Tax Is Good
There's a lot of talk about how, well, things like the mortgage interest deduction, state and local tax deductions, and 401Ks contributions, are actually regressive because for various reasons most of the benefits go to higher income people. The extent to which this is true is being exaggerated a bit. It's true they don't go to poor people, but they aren't all just going to the top 5%. But in any case, the trade-off being discussed (and we shouldn't discuss these "bargains" anyway, as they're just a sucker's game for liberals) isn't, say, raise upper middle class taxes to give the money to poor people. The trade-off is raise upper middle class taxes to give all the money to SUPER SUPER SUPER RICH PEOPLE.
That doesn't make the tax code more progressive.
That doesn't make the tax code more progressive.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Surprised Face
Not really.
Veteran journalist Mark Halperin sexually harassed women while he was in a powerful position at ABC News, according to five women who shared their previously undisclosed accounts with CNN and others who did not experience the alleged harassment personally, but were aware of it.
"During this period, I did pursue relationships with women that I worked with, including some junior to me," Halperin said in a statement to CNN Wednesday night. "I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain. For that, I am deeply sorry and I apologize. Under the circumstances, I'm going to take a step back from my day-to-day work while I properly deal with this situation."
It's Still A Year Away
But my big fear is that during the midterms the Dems will run with "isn't Trump gross and awful" which won't be enough.
My Life's Work Up In Smoke
Dems now have a 51/42 favorable view of George W. Bush https://t.co/apCxphTX7z pic.twitter.com/U2JhDxbPZU
— Ariel Edwards-Levy (@aedwardslevy) October 25, 2017
What is wrong with Democrats.
Clinton Campaign Plots To Win Election
One thing about 25 years of coverage of the Clintons is that perfectly normal things which anyone who works in politics or journalism knows are perfectly normal are portrayed as being suspicious, deviant, and corrupt. This story isn't even new, except for the involvement of one particular person on the Clinton campaign, which doesn't seem important. But frame it just right and it sounds suspicious, and everybody gets to BothSides and balance to the universe has been returned.
Good
A loss for the forced birth advocates, and win for this girl's life.
BREAKING: undocumented teen at center of court battle, had abortion this AM before DOJ could appeal fed appeals court ruling to SCOTUS.
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) October 25, 2017
Competence
Running things is actually hard work. Even if you're nominally in charge (the "boss") you don't actually have to run things, but you have to hire people who can. I'm sure most senators, for example, are horrible managers, but if they hire a competent chief of staff and let them take care of things, that's fine. Senators can set the big picture and go chat with people and be on teevee or whatever, and leave the actual implementation to others.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
How About Some Happy Hour
If nothing else, we can celebrate Flake's retirement. May there be many more on that side of the aisle.
No True Conservatives
One problem with political discourse is that the media lets conservatives run away from conservatism the instant it becomes unpopular. The Trump agenda is gibberish because he knows nothing about nothing, but it is still, in its broad outlines, conservative. George Bush was like Conservative Jesus until he became unpopular and then suddenly he was an apostate.
At its root is that conservatism is, mostly, Cleek's Law - against whatever liberals are for, updated daily. True for the riffraff, at least, but the Great Conservative Thinkers like Jonah Goldberg shouldn't be able to get away with this dodge.
At its root is that conservatism is, mostly, Cleek's Law - against whatever liberals are for, updated daily. True for the riffraff, at least, but the Great Conservative Thinkers like Jonah Goldberg shouldn't be able to get away with this dodge.
Getting The Job Done
What I mean here is that there's inevitably going to be some waste and corruption in government. I'd even argue that some of that corruption is just politics by a different name. But it's one thing to pay the 20% or 50% or even 100% corruption tax if your local politically connected waste removal company actually shows up and takes the trash away, and quite another if they don't. Puerto Rico needs to get its electricity back. If we overpay some cronies and they actually do the work, I'm not going to cry too much. Most likely we will overpay some cronies and the work won't get done.
Twitter Wars
Corker and Trump are going at it, but who cares?
If Corker cares about anything other than his personal fee fees, he can do some things about it. He can chastise other Republicans for not doing things about it. Maybe one senator doesn't have infinite power, but he can use the power he does have aside from saying mean things.
If Corker cares about anything other than his personal fee fees, he can do some things about it. He can chastise other Republicans for not doing things about it. Maybe one senator doesn't have infinite power, but he can use the power he does have aside from saying mean things.
Everybody Gets Rich
There are levels of corruption in government. Generally the key to getting away with it is to do the kinds of things that are just standard. You know, it isn't corruption, it's just "the way things are done."
And then there's this kind of thing.
If they get the job done, who cares, but...
And then there's this kind of thing.
For the sprawling effort to restore Puerto Rico’s crippled electrical grid, the territory’s state-owned utility has turned to a two-year-old company from Montana that had just two full-time employees on the day Hurricane Maria made landfall.
The company, Whitefish Energy, said last week that it had signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to repair and reconstruct large portions of the island’s electrical infrastructure. The contract is the biggest yet issued in the troubled relief effort.
If they get the job done, who cares, but...
Monday, October 23, 2017
It Is All My Fault
Of course it isn't, but generally everybody in 2016 who thought electing Democrats (Clinton) was important should think that, actually, it's all my fault. Your share of the blame should be in proportion to the budget you had at your disposal and the legal frameworks which let your particular organizations collect money in order to advance her candidacy.
I suppose I could have done more, and should have. I will cop to that! I am sorry. You should be sorry too. You all spent time bitching in the comments instead of knocking on doors (I am sure some of you did knock on a lot of doors).
I didn't have a billion bucks to spend. Neither did you.
I suppose I could have done more, and should have. I will cop to that! I am sorry. You should be sorry too. You all spent time bitching in the comments instead of knocking on doors (I am sure some of you did knock on a lot of doors).
I didn't have a billion bucks to spend. Neither did you.
Brexit
Few understand what having what you thought was your settled life ripped from you by your friends and neighbors is like.
People Who Love Trump Love Trump
And regions where people love Trump are Trump loving regions. The way they cover this is so weird.
There Is No Such Thing As Society
It isn't as if we don't have any functioning government. We do, of course, but we just put it in the background. Other countries recognize explicitly that the state has a role. Culturally we pretend it doesn't. Of course those potholes don't fill themselves, and the lawn in that park doesn't cut itself. We wake up twice a year and wonder why the streets haven't been plowed as fast as they should have been.
Some things require taxation and collective action, mostly known as "government." We have been pretending otherwise since Reagan.
Some things require taxation and collective action, mostly known as "government." We have been pretending otherwise since Reagan.
Where The Money Is
There will be NO change to your 401(k). This has always been a great and popular middle class tax break that works, and it stays!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2017
I suspect Trump doesn't really want to raise taxes on "middle class" people but his people keep lying to him until someone on one of his stories clues him in.
Middle class tax deductions (401k, mortgage interest) mostly benefit higher income people but better them than the 1%. If you want to give super rich people a massive tax cut, and pretend to "pay" for it a little bit, the money has to come from somewhere, and the only place it can come from is upper middle class people.
Or the military budget. HAhahaha I keed.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Assholes
One of my cats puked all over my bed at about 4 AM this morning. Now I have 28 pounds (2 cats) on my lap.
Yes of course I hate them and love them but what the hell.
Yes of course I hate them and love them but what the hell.
Sunday Night
I need to post a video to make you hate me more than you do. What can it be? Ooh this is so hard and so fun. I hate you, too, by the way.
When Jeffy Jeff Comes To Town
This is totally stupid, but racial politics is often about signalling. There are things you cannot say, so you communicate in other ways.
Jeff Sessions was in town for some reason. He went to buy a cheesesteak at one of the two tourist cheesesteak places in South Philly. They are across the street from each other. One is Pat's, the other is Geno's. I live in the neighborhood (well, technically just outside it I guess but whatever).
Anyway, Geno's became infamous because its owner, Joey Vento, who has since died, put up a sign which read "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING Please "SPEAK ENGLISH". Vento is the son of Italian immigrants, and once upon a time the restaurant that they owned had menus in Italian. This is South Philly, after all. The point of the sign was not the specific message, the point of the sign was to signal that Vento was on board with the anti-immigrant wave which was happening back then (2006). It was a signal for assholes. The neighborhood is increasingly populated by a new wave of immigrants - mostly Mexican and Vietnamese - and this was a big middle finger to the local population. It's also completely stupid for a tourist destination to insult tourists. Philly is not the #1 tourist destination in the world, but people do visit here and they go to Pat's and Geno's to get a cheesesteak when they do.
Vento died and his son (actually named Geno) now runs the place and he took the sign down. I have no beef with Geno's. There is no need to boycott Geno's. But when politicians are doing the "get a cheesesteak in Philly" thing they choose between Pat's and Geno's. Choosing Geno's means you're a big racist, and choosing Pat's means you aren't. This might not be entirely fair anymore - again I have no beef with Geno's as currently run. It isn't about the restaurant. It's about the signal.
Jeff Sessions was in town for some reason. He went to buy a cheesesteak at one of the two tourist cheesesteak places in South Philly. They are across the street from each other. One is Pat's, the other is Geno's. I live in the neighborhood (well, technically just outside it I guess but whatever).
Anyway, Geno's became infamous because its owner, Joey Vento, who has since died, put up a sign which read "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING Please "SPEAK ENGLISH". Vento is the son of Italian immigrants, and once upon a time the restaurant that they owned had menus in Italian. This is South Philly, after all. The point of the sign was not the specific message, the point of the sign was to signal that Vento was on board with the anti-immigrant wave which was happening back then (2006). It was a signal for assholes. The neighborhood is increasingly populated by a new wave of immigrants - mostly Mexican and Vietnamese - and this was a big middle finger to the local population. It's also completely stupid for a tourist destination to insult tourists. Philly is not the #1 tourist destination in the world, but people do visit here and they go to Pat's and Geno's to get a cheesesteak when they do.
Vento died and his son (actually named Geno) now runs the place and he took the sign down. I have no beef with Geno's. There is no need to boycott Geno's. But when politicians are doing the "get a cheesesteak in Philly" thing they choose between Pat's and Geno's. Choosing Geno's means you're a big racist, and choosing Pat's means you aren't. This might not be entirely fair anymore - again I have no beef with Geno's as currently run. It isn't about the restaurant. It's about the signal.
I'm A Rich Old Man Who Likes To Play Golf
I guess the problem is Trump likes precisely two things: watching people say nice things about him on the teevee and playing golf. If only he just liked the latter.
Predictable
It was the point.
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A spokesperson for Rep. Frederica Wilson says the threats against the congresswoman have intensified.
Syndrome Speaks
It is finally sinking through. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2017
Sunday Morning Thread
Damn, it seems like last Sunday was yesterday. That's living life in the fast lane, I suppose.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
How Did Hillary Clinton Lose To Donald Trump?
Because voters are horrible, while largely true, does not offer a way forward.
Bill O
I'm trying to think of a non-crass way to say this and coming up short. Bill O'Reilly spent more money than I will make in my lifetime so he could be a tremendously horrible person (possibly worse than that) to women who worked for/with him. He probably could have spent that money in other ways.
What I am trying to figure out how to say is...for that much money, you can buy a lot of sex. It wasn't about the sex.
Last January, six months after Fox News ousted its chairman amid a sexual harassment scandal, the network’s top-rated host at the time, Bill O’Reilly, struck a $32 million agreement with a longtime network analyst to settle new sexual harassment allegations, according to two people briefed on the matter — an extraordinarily large amount for such cases.
What I am trying to figure out how to say is...for that much money, you can buy a lot of sex. It wasn't about the sex.
Oopsie
What is a pundit? What are they for? Okay, what am I for?
Back in the early blogging days a bunch of cranky stupid pundits were mad that bloggers were "advocates" or "activists" while they were... I guess I never figured out what they thought they were. They certainly didn't express opinions about things in hopes of influencing politics and policy! Or something.
At some point you gotta bring out the scales of justice and realize you were on the wrong side of everything and just shut the hell up. Feel free to tell me if this applies to me!
Back in the early blogging days a bunch of cranky stupid pundits were mad that bloggers were "advocates" or "activists" while they were... I guess I never figured out what they thought they were. They certainly didn't express opinions about things in hopes of influencing politics and policy! Or something.
At some point you gotta bring out the scales of justice and realize you were on the wrong side of everything and just shut the hell up. Feel free to tell me if this applies to me!
Angry Racist Gramps
Dubya was really really bad and I am dedicated to the idea that people should not forget this, but at least we didn't wake up every day wondering if he might nuke North Korea because he was in a shitty mood.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Cranky Old Man
It me.
Specifically I am cranky about how The Kids Today don't remember the Bush era. I get it. It was a long time ago. I got annoyed when Dems of a certain age were fixated on 1972. It is 2017. The Iraq war started 14 years ago. It is my origin story. It is not theirs. I get it.
Specifically I am cranky about how The Kids Today don't remember the Bush era. I get it. It was a long time ago. I got annoyed when Dems of a certain age were fixated on 1972. It is 2017. The Iraq war started 14 years ago. It is my origin story. It is not theirs. I get it.
When The President Is Senile
I guess if he doesn't hit the nuke button it isn't that important, but....
Somehow We Didn't Get Rich
I know that most of you hate my taste in music. I don't care about that. And, yes, sometimes I am just trolling. But sometimes I am not. Usually I am just trying to promote stuff I really like. It's sad that there is a lot of brilliant stuff happening that will never provide the financial rewards necessary to keep it going for people. There are a few superstar acts, but otherwise nobody makes any money anymore. I am one of those weirdos who still buys music instead of streaming it (I do a bit of that, too, but I buy what I like).
Even those who manage to make a living at it for awhile probably have to pack it in and find something else to do one day. The transition from rock star to store clerk is probably a bit difficult.
Posting videos most of you hate has always been my small attempt to provide some exposure to bands I like. Some of them are good! Be nice.
Even those who manage to make a living at it for awhile probably have to pack it in and find something else to do one day. The transition from rock star to store clerk is probably a bit difficult.
Posting videos most of you hate has always been my small attempt to provide some exposure to bands I like. Some of them are good! Be nice.
Is It OK To Punch Nazis?
I never advocate violence. I hate armchair revolutionaries, the people who call for the revolution but never quite manage to lead it themselves. But the idea that violence is never thought to be wrong in our society is absurd. We lionize our combat veterans. We praise our cops even when they engage in unjustified violent behavior. The white vigilante in many forms is a hero in pop culture (shooting black criminals, fighting against imagined government tyranny).
There's nothing we exalt more than WWII veterans. They were sent off to hell to kill Nazis. Tom Brokaw's meal ticket is praising the Greatest Generation. Beating Nazis is the 20th century's foundation myth of the US.
More importantly, Nazis aren't just people who are a bit racist, like your typical conservative. The are exterminationists. They explicitly ally themselves with those who deliberately committed genocide on an unimaginable scale (colonial and imperial atrocities are not entirely dissimilar, but the technocratic genocidal program of Hitler was somewhat unique). Someone who wears a Swastika isn't simply saying "I don't much like Jews and Blacks." They are saying they are on board with a program to exterminate them.
Should you punch them? I dunno. Captain America would. That's why he's a comic book hero.
There's nothing we exalt more than WWII veterans. They were sent off to hell to kill Nazis. Tom Brokaw's meal ticket is praising the Greatest Generation. Beating Nazis is the 20th century's foundation myth of the US.
More importantly, Nazis aren't just people who are a bit racist, like your typical conservative. The are exterminationists. They explicitly ally themselves with those who deliberately committed genocide on an unimaginable scale (colonial and imperial atrocities are not entirely dissimilar, but the technocratic genocidal program of Hitler was somewhat unique). Someone who wears a Swastika isn't simply saying "I don't much like Jews and Blacks." They are saying they are on board with a program to exterminate them.
Should you punch them? I dunno. Captain America would. That's why he's a comic book hero.
Maybot
I know it's one of my peculiar interests which most of you don't care about, but Brexit is going to be a disaster. It was always a bad idea (Maybe joining the EU was a bad idea, but leaving it is also a bad idea. These things can both be true). The only way for it to not be a disaster was for the UK to be like, ok we're Norway now. Which would have been mostly pointless, but not insane.
Maybot is driving the bus towards the cliff and no one can tell her to just turn the damn wheel.
Maybot is driving the bus towards the cliff and no one can tell her to just turn the damn wheel.
The Lifestyles Of The Not So Poors
The regular New York Times feature "lifestyles of the not quite rich enough" is amusing because usually the people in question are, even by New York rich white people standards, far from poor. I mean, you don't actually have to be able to afford private kindergarten for Adelaide and Chad along with your 3 vacations per year. Still there is a very real issue for the great masses of people in places like New York and San Francisco who didn't inherit real estate in that even if you are pretty damn high income by any measure, the prospect of having enough money to have a family-sized place (by NYC standards, I don't mean a 2500 sq. ft. detached home) in Manhattan or Brooklyn so that you can plot a life that involves maybe settling down and having kids, is aspirational at best.
Ok in your 20s, but after that? Those places are expensive.
Ok in your 20s, but after that? Those places are expensive.
The Poors
I was never poor, but I did live for many years as a "poor student." Being a poor student isn't like being actually poor and I fully understand that. It's an environment with lots of options even if you don't have any extra money. There are free or cheap social and cultural events, and even free pizza sometimes. You don't need an expensive wardrobe. You might be able to get by without a car, depending on where you are going to school. You have a bunch of peers who are, more or less, in the same situation you are (obviously some have a lot of help from the bank of mom and dad and some don't, but still).
But I did live in a tiny studio apartment for 5 years (this is grad school I am talking about). I did have to think about every dollar I spent, every beer I bought. Going out on an actual date, as in maybe taking somebody to a restaurant that wasn't a student budget restaurant, was a luxury. I didn't have money left over at the end of the pay period. I had to hustle a bit on the side (tutoring, that kind of thing) to have a tiny bit extra. Of course I "knew" (hoped, at least) that at the end of it I'd get a decent enough paying job. It was a temporary situation. And I was never going to be homeless. The bank of mom and dad would have helped that much, at least, if it was necessary. So I didn't really feel like I imagine genuinely poor people do. I was a student and one day I would make money.
Contemplating that...forever. The psychic cost of really never having any extra money, of always having to worry about every dollar that went out, to genuinely be concerned about paying the water bill. Being poor sucks and the stress must make people insane.
But I did live in a tiny studio apartment for 5 years (this is grad school I am talking about). I did have to think about every dollar I spent, every beer I bought. Going out on an actual date, as in maybe taking somebody to a restaurant that wasn't a student budget restaurant, was a luxury. I didn't have money left over at the end of the pay period. I had to hustle a bit on the side (tutoring, that kind of thing) to have a tiny bit extra. Of course I "knew" (hoped, at least) that at the end of it I'd get a decent enough paying job. It was a temporary situation. And I was never going to be homeless. The bank of mom and dad would have helped that much, at least, if it was necessary. So I didn't really feel like I imagine genuinely poor people do. I was a student and one day I would make money.
Contemplating that...forever. The psychic cost of really never having any extra money, of always having to worry about every dollar that went out, to genuinely be concerned about paying the water bill. Being poor sucks and the stress must make people insane.
End It
16 years ago the state took over the Philadelphia school district. Leaving aside why that happened or discussion of whether the state did good or bad things over that time, it's bad because it basically means there is no local accountability. You can't get mad at the mayor or the city council or even elected school board members. The city can't really do anything to help schools except throw money into a system they don't really control. One of biggest issues in local politics has largely been removed from local politics. I hope it ends.
The School Reform Commission could vote to disband itself by year’s end, the panel’s chairwoman said Thursday night.
After another SRC meeting where dozens of members of the public angrily called for an end to the body, Chairwoman Joyce Wilkerson said the five members were keenly aware of the timeline in front of them: To kill the SRC and shift to local control by the 2018-19 school year, they would need to vote themselves out of existence by the end of December.
Nobody Cares
You don't matter.
And you don't even have a clue what the deal would look like.
Theresa May pleaded with EU leaders over dinner in Brussels to help her strike a Brexit deal that she can defend to voters back home, admitting talks had got off to a bad start over the summer.
The prime minister made the appeal over dinner with 27 other EU leaders but did not offer any fresh financial concessions to help break the deadlock in talks, which have been stuck on the issue of Britain’s divorce bill for months.
And you don't even have a clue what the deal would look like.
A Shelbyville Idea
I'm pretty sure this is all just a big grift but I am happy to be proven wrong.
Maryland has given transportation pioneer Elon Musk permission to dig tunnels for the high-speed, underground transit system known as a hyperloop that Musk wants to build between New York and Washington.
Hogan administration officials said Thursday the state has issued a conditional utility permit to let Musk’s tunneling firm, The Boring Co., dig a 10.3-mile tunnel beneath the state-owned portion of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, between the Baltimore city line and Maryland 175 in Hanover.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
What Did I Do All Those Years
This a bit narcissistic and petty, but... I spent 6 years trying to convince the world that George Bush was bad and now everyone's like "oh he's sweet now and he paints nice pictures."
I even like his stupid paintings, but still.
I even like his stupid paintings, but still.
Gotta Get Better At It
I used to go to DC more though I haven't in awhile. Over the years I've met with a plenty of people I'd call, for lack of a better description, "Dem operatives." You know, people who work in politics in various capacities. Campaigns, etc. While the younger (at the time, we're all old now) generation was a bit more hip to the media-as-a-problem narrative which has long been a part of this humble blog, the slightly older ones (like, more my age), had a different view. Basically, they just thought Dems were bad at it. Chris Cillizza would print your bullshit, too, if you were just better at reaching out to him.
I don't think this is correct. I think even after Obama, DC is still wired for Republicans (though it was somewhat wired for Obama, if not Democrats, too). But there is something to it.
I don't think this is correct. I think even after Obama, DC is still wired for Republicans (though it was somewhat wired for Obama, if not Democrats, too). But there is something to it.
Hyper=Hyper, Loop=Loop
People are so stupid.
"largely unproven."
JEFFERSON CITY • Opting against picking a favorite between St. Louis and Kansas City, Gov. Eric Greitens is telling Amazon it could have both cities — plus a sprinkling of Columbia — if the company chooses a Missouri location for its second headquarters.
Although the Show-Me State’s largest metropolitan areas are 250 miles apart, the Greitens administration says connecting the two via a futuristic and largely unproven people-mover called the Hyperloop could serve as the catalyst for the online retailer to put a Missouri location on its short list.
"largely unproven."
Mag=Magnetic, Lev=Levitation
I know at times I sound like a cranky Luddite (in the colloquial sense, not that actual meaning), but as much as I love SUPERTRAINS I'm not really sure a $10 billion train from Baltimore to DC is...that useful. More than that, it's never going to be built.
Backers of a 40-mile, high-speed magnetic levitation, or maglev, train between Washington and Baltimore are hosting a series of public meetings showcasing three proposed routes in an attempt to assuage concerns about eminent domain and the possible condemnation of homes.
The Wrong Men
The full awfulness of people isn't always publicly known, but do better..
The Army is grappling with a resurgence of cases in which troops responsible for preventing sexual assault have been accused of rape and related crimes, undercutting the Pentagon’s claims that it is making progress against sexual violence in the ranks.
In the most recent case, an Army prosecutor in charge of sexual assault investigations in the Southwest was charged by the military last month with putting a knife to the throat of a lawyer he had been dating and raping her on two occasions, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
Lovable George Bush
The guy has a lot more penance to do than one tepid speech which doesn't even call out Trump or the GOP by name.
Why do people set the bar so low.
Why do people set the bar so low.
The Kids Today
It isn't too surprising that Gorsuch doesn't even try to pretend to play nice with others. He probably wonders why the hell the other 8 justices are there at all.
We can hope he at least pushes Roberts in the direction of his "only turn over half the apple cart" kinds of opinions. They're bad and stupid, but maybe better than the alternative.
We can hope he at least pushes Roberts in the direction of his "only turn over half the apple cart" kinds of opinions. They're bad and stupid, but maybe better than the alternative.
Hire Some Competent People
Trump's a dick with no empathy. This is not news. But doing the polite ceremonial things that a president should do, like send condolences and thank you cards, doesn't require him to not be a dick, it requires having competent people who take care of that stuff for him. Sign this. Read the message on the cue card over the phone. Etc.
Not The Status Quo
I'm pretty sure that a lot of people in the UK think that "no deal" in the context of Brexit means "nothing changes." So when the Tories talk about "a good deal or no deal" they think it's...like it is now, or better!
"No deal" would be..um...something.
"No deal" would be..um...something.
The UK will inevitably leave the EU without a deal and businesses should start preparing for trade on World Trade Organisation terms, the former cabinet minister Owen Paterson has said.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Cover
It isn't actually normal for outlets like Politico to write stuff like this. Covering for the, um, imperfections of elderly senators is pretty standard.
Reasonable to ask why they are breaking from this tradition.
Mississippi GOP Sen. Thad Cochran insists that he is not retiring from Congress, despite widespread speculation about the veteran lawmaker’s health and political future.
The 79-year-old Cochran appeared frail and at times disoriented during a brief hallway interview on Wednesday. He was unable to answer whether he would remain chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and at one point, needed a staffer to remind him where the Senate chamber is located.
Reasonable to ask why they are breaking from this tradition.
The Simplest Thing
Expressing condolences to a grieving widow isn't hard (I mean saying the necessary 2 sentences isn't hard).
Sundown
I know he's bad, but he's also... not right in the head.
President Trump, in a personal phone call to a grieving military father, offered him $25,000 and said he would direct his staff to establish an online fundraiser for the family, but neither happened, the father said.
Chris Baldridge, the father of Army Cpl. Dillon Baldridge, told The Washington Post that Trump called him at his home in Zebulon, N.C., a few weeks after his 22-year-old son and two fellow soldiers were gunned down by an Afghan police officer in a suspected insider attack June 10. Their phone conversation lasted about 15 minutes, Baldridge said, and centered for a time on the father’s struggle with the manner in which his son was killed.
Lefty College Kids
The obsession of our pundit class with elite college generally, and specifically the idea that lefty college kids are the greatest threat to free speech ever known to man, is completely bizarre. I know that sometimes well-meaning college kids can be dumb. They are 19! They also don't have any power. Sure everybody can have a bit of power over someone or something for a moment, but structurally...college kids have no power. Even Harvard kids. The $30 billion endowment has power.
Our pundits punched hippies when they were in college (show me where the hippie hurt you, Jon) and they can't stop punching them now. It's so weird.
Our pundits punched hippies when they were in college (show me where the hippie hurt you, Jon) and they can't stop punching them now. It's so weird.
Monstering
In the age of Trump we could say this about almost every daily revelation, but the press does have the power to turn a scandal into a SCANDAL. Her emails. It's hard to imagine the decibel level of the shrieking that we would have heard for years of some Obama connected charity had lied like this.
NPR's "Embedded" podcast team, examined charitable giving by Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles. It found the organization appears to have fallen short of its bold claims of philanthropic giving.
Going To Have To Go Into Hiding
Many people are blissfully unaware of how the right wing works in this country. I am so sorry that Myeshia Johnson is about to find out.
...more
The president was reacting to a Florida congresswoman saying the family of Sgt. La David T. Johnson was “astonished” by that remark during a phone call from Trump on Tuesday. Trump said he has “proof” that the conversation did not happen as recounted by Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D.) He did not elaborate, but the claim again raised questions about whether the president tapes calls and conversations.
Wilson told MSNBC on Wednesday that Johnson's widow, Myeshia, was shaken by the exchange.
“She was crying the whole time, and when she hung up the phone, she looked at me and said, ‘He didn’t even remember his name.’ That’s the hurting part.”
...more
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Boring Cat Post
Talking about your pets is boring for most people. I get that. But, hey, it's my blog and I gotta post some stuff so it's gonna be cats.
The brothers have been with me basically since I started the blog. They are old men now! Almost 16! A bit cranky, but surprisingly spry. Their behavior has evolved over the years, though recently they have settled into a pattern.
I have a dumb 4 floor rowhouse. (Basement+3 floors). I actually do work in the basement (cue jokes) these days. It's a nice basement. There is a big TV and a treadmill when I am not lazy.
The brothers get along. They sleep in a pile frequently. But they've also divided up the house. One rarely goes up to the top 2 floors, the other spends a lot of his time there.
The basement cat either spends his time sleeping on his special blanky, or sleeping on my arms as I type (as he is doing now).
The other cat waits in bed (top floor) at night for bedtime. He spends about 15 minutes there wondering why he isn't being petted as I try to sleep. Then he runs down to the basement to fetch a toy and brings it all the way upstairs. And again gets puzzled why I don't pet him (I am sleeping).
During the day the basement cat only goes upstairs to...fetch the toys that the upstairs cat brought up the previous night. When he does this he has a nuclear siren level meow to inform me of this. I do not know how he produces his sound. I don't think he does, either. He is so proud of his nuclear siren.
....I guess any pet post needs a picture. Here are the little assholes when we lived in California.
The brothers have been with me basically since I started the blog. They are old men now! Almost 16! A bit cranky, but surprisingly spry. Their behavior has evolved over the years, though recently they have settled into a pattern.
I have a dumb 4 floor rowhouse. (Basement+3 floors). I actually do work in the basement (cue jokes) these days. It's a nice basement. There is a big TV and a treadmill when I am not lazy.
The brothers get along. They sleep in a pile frequently. But they've also divided up the house. One rarely goes up to the top 2 floors, the other spends a lot of his time there.
The basement cat either spends his time sleeping on his special blanky, or sleeping on my arms as I type (as he is doing now).
The other cat waits in bed (top floor) at night for bedtime. He spends about 15 minutes there wondering why he isn't being petted as I try to sleep. Then he runs down to the basement to fetch a toy and brings it all the way upstairs. And again gets puzzled why I don't pet him (I am sleeping).
During the day the basement cat only goes upstairs to...fetch the toys that the upstairs cat brought up the previous night. When he does this he has a nuclear siren level meow to inform me of this. I do not know how he produces his sound. I don't think he does, either. He is so proud of his nuclear siren.
....I guess any pet post needs a picture. Here are the little assholes when we lived in California.
Booker'd
I admit I didn't like Lincoln in the Bardo all that much. It was pretty good and I get why people did like it, but just not for me.
Last year's winner, The Sellout, is good. Read that one.
Still should be a prize for UK authors only though.
Last year's winner, The Sellout, is good. Read that one.
Still should be a prize for UK authors only though.
Everybody Has A Veto
While the idiots running the UK pretend that what matters is buying Prosecco from Italy, this is the stuff that really matters...
It isn't leverage...everyone has a veto, and the peace in Ireland requires an open border. The border runs through back yards. People go to work every day.
Brexiteers are so stupid.
Ireland’s government is considering pushing for guarantees that no border will be reimposed on the island of Ireland as the price for allowing Brexit talks to move ahead, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Irish authorities are keen to use their leverage in the first part of the negotiations to extract maximum concessions on the border issue, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the deliberations are ongoing. That could mean turning U.K. and European Union aspirations to avoid a hard border into a concrete commitment, the people said.
It isn't leverage...everyone has a veto, and the peace in Ireland requires an open border. The border runs through back yards. People go to work every day.
Brexiteers are so stupid.
Cillizzas
Everybody needs a brand. I think Chris's brand is "types up administration bullshit without sourcing or skepticism." He's not the only one. Tip me off when you see someone pulling a Cillizza.
EvenTheAssholes
A big mystery to me is why liberals are desperate for validation from conservatives. David Frum is an asshole. Andrew Sullivan is an asshole. Jonah Goldberg is probably the worst human ever. Bill Kristol is...do I even need to?
Stop it. They are bad people.
Stop it. They are bad people.
Trash Panda
We have lots of murals in Philly. There's a dedicated program for them. This is a good one.
I Hate Politicians
I used to do a lot more advocacy/fundraising for politicians. In the dark days of the Bush administration electing anyone with a D after their name seemed to be a good enough cause. I used to talk with them and meet them. I wasn't naive, but some of them were... bad. I don't mean bad as in "more conservative than I would like." I mean literally bad people.
Seth Williams is a local politician, not a federal candidate. I never raised money for him. But he did show up to our Drinking Liberally a few times. The local nascent progressive community supported him. His predecessor was horrible. He didn't even promise to be much better, just better (I'll give him credit for not promising the moon. He didn't.) He wasn't better. He was horrible, and also, too, horribly corrupt.
Seth Williams is a local politician, not a federal candidate. I never raised money for him. But he did show up to our Drinking Liberally a few times. The local nascent progressive community supported him. His predecessor was horrible. He didn't even promise to be much better, just better (I'll give him credit for not promising the moon. He didn't.) He wasn't better. He was horrible, and also, too, horribly corrupt.
Federal prosecutors on Monday urged a judge to send former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams to prison for five years — the maximum term allowable under the law — at his sentencing hearing next week.
In a memo to U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, government lawyers described the city’s fallen top prosecutor as a crooked politician who took every opportunity to enrich himself through fraud, theft from his campaign fund, and bribes accepted from generous donors.
Oopsie
Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2017
Stop nominating America's worst people.
Voters Are Horrible
Fine, they are. Americans suck.
This is not a message that wins elections. Stop it.
This is not a message that wins elections. Stop it.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Winning Was The Thing
Just quit, Donald. It's okay. Even a Pope did it recently. I am not the Trump whisperer, but even I knew that being president would make him miserable. You're old. You're fake rich enough. You like to play golf. You'll always have enough sycophants around, and not ones who will go trash you anonymously to the press. Spend your life hitting golf balls and letting Trumpkins take selfies with you.
Let Mike Pence destroy the country. He's more into it, really.
Let Mike Pence destroy the country. He's more into it, really.
Aspiration Interrupted
I am completely making this up, but I do think once upon a time the basic story of "Americans want rich people to have their taxes cuts because they think they'll be rich one day" had...some truth to it. A little bit, anyway.
I don't think it does anymore. It's what happens when .1%ers get greedy and don't just screw the poors and the middle class but also the not-quite-rich-enough, too. It's tough to be merely a 10%er.
I don't think it does anymore. It's what happens when .1%ers get greedy and don't just screw the poors and the middle class but also the not-quite-rich-enough, too. It's tough to be merely a 10%er.
The Amazon Games
I don't care if Philadelphia wins the Amazon olympics. Likely the city and/or state will hand over the entire treasury to lure them to come and I doubt that would be worth it. Still from a purely "arguing about things on the internet" sense, of course Philly is the obvious choice. It's cheap and we have an underutilized and massive (if flawed) transit system and it's probably the most walkable city in the country (yes, yes, NYC is NYC and you really can't compare anything else to it, but NYC has absurd real estate prices).
There's Always Money In The Banana Stand
Whenever we talk about how we can't afford nice things, well, we can...
Sure tax breaks aren't technically spending money, but of course lots of money would spent.
Gov. Chris Christie will announce this afternoon he's endorsing Newark's bid for Amazon's second sprawling headquarters, sources told NJ Advance Media.
Christie's backing may come with $5 billion in tax breaks state lawmakers have agreed to lavish on Amazon should it choose New Jersey to host its massive headquarters and 50,000 potential new jobs.
Sure tax breaks aren't technically spending money, but of course lots of money would spent.
Trumpcare
As the man says, Obamacare is gone.
Trump: "Obamacare is finished, it's dead, it's gone..You shouldn't even mention it. It's gone. There is no such thing as Obamacare anymore" pic.twitter.com/sAkylaXPlA
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 16, 2017
Excellent Pee Tape Content
From Beutler.
One thing people forget, in part because it was pushed aside by 9/11 and Iraq, and in part because people just forget the damn Bush era (and yes it was a long time ago now I get it), was that the operating principle when the Bushies came into office was... ABC. Anything But Clinton. The focus was foreign policy because that was what Cheney was interested in, but really it was applied to everything. They, too, wanted to destroy everything their predecessor did, openly bragged about it, and people in the media thought it was cute and funny. And then Bush kept us safe on 9/11 and the rest is history.
One thing people forget, in part because it was pushed aside by 9/11 and Iraq, and in part because people just forget the damn Bush era (and yes it was a long time ago now I get it), was that the operating principle when the Bushies came into office was... ABC. Anything But Clinton. The focus was foreign policy because that was what Cheney was interested in, but really it was applied to everything. They, too, wanted to destroy everything their predecessor did, openly bragged about it, and people in the media thought it was cute and funny. And then Bush kept us safe on 9/11 and the rest is history.
Now It's Time
They're all so incompetent.
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it was time to begin “serious negotiations” on Brexit, hours before Prime Minister Theresa May visits Brussels in an attempt to unlock the stalled talks.
666
What a stupid novel.
An ambitious plan by Jared Kushner’s family to recast its indebted Fifth Avenue office building as a luxury architectural trophy is collapsing, setting off a chain of events that may imperil the Kushners’ ownership of a property central to their real estate empire.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
I Have Some Bad News
Tomorrow is...Monday.
Saw that Blade Runner movie. Pretty good! If you liked the original you'll probably like it, which is quite an accomplishment.
Saw that Blade Runner movie. Pretty good! If you liked the original you'll probably like it, which is quite an accomplishment.
Judeo-Christian
I've been an atheist my whole life. I don't really care. I'm not trying to convert anyone to atheism. Believe what you want. But I have often confronted people who don't understand that, yes, I have always been an atheist. My parents didn't raise me as an atheist. They didn't tell me about the horrors of religion, or whatever, they just didn't tell me about religion at all. Eventually I got a bit older and interacted with other people and heard about this God thing and it sounded pretty silly to me. Like at age 6. God was up there with Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and The Easter Bunny (I'd rejected them all by then, though I appreciated the goodies still). I don't remember my parents being negative about religion. I suppose they responded when I asked them about it, but I don't remember them poo-pooing it.
When I was in high school, one of my teachers (she was good, I liked her, but she was religious) challenged my atheism by saying something like "we live in a Judeo-Christian society." Her point was that even if I was Godless, religion was a pervasive influence on morality so I couldn't reject it. Well, ok, whatever. Culture adopts many influences. She wasn't totally wrong. But the "Judeo-" part of "Judeo-Christianity" was bullshit. Just say Christianity if that's your take.
When I was in high school, one of my teachers (she was good, I liked her, but she was religious) challenged my atheism by saying something like "we live in a Judeo-Christian society." Her point was that even if I was Godless, religion was a pervasive influence on morality so I couldn't reject it. Well, ok, whatever. Culture adopts many influences. She wasn't totally wrong. But the "Judeo-" part of "Judeo-Christianity" was bullshit. Just say Christianity if that's your take.
Who Is The Paper For
I'm too green to bother linking or explaining, but when your local newspaper editorial board shows nothing but contempt for the local population.... it's a total mystery why no one buys the damn thing.
ATRIOS SMASH!!!!
I am turning green today so really today will be a shitty blogging day because it is probably smart.
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Saving America
It's Saturday evening so I can't give this a full quality blog post (do I ever?) but I think it is fair to say that absent the various ways the US relaxed immigration restrictions (and Reagan's amnesty...and other ways in which immigrants newly obtained paths to citizenship... ) this country would be, well, horrible. Related is the fact that I used to be a bit smug about the fact that whatever Western Europe had going for it (many things, not all things!), we at least had that going for us. Cultural heterogeneity was our strength. Not a unique strength, of course, but not an entirely universal strength either. Now...
Saturday Evening
I got nothin'.
...spent the afternoon watching a production of Cabaret, which was good. The emcee added some banter which managed to humorously (tough to do!) draw some parallels between then and now. It's just a play, after all.
...spent the afternoon watching a production of Cabaret, which was good. The emcee added some banter which managed to humorously (tough to do!) draw some parallels between then and now. It's just a play, after all.
Judeo-Christian
Trump always says the quiet part out loud.
And in this case, good for him. "Judeo-Christian" was always a bullshit term which just meant "Christian, but also we pretend to not hate Jews."
Also a reminder that it's time to begin the War on Christmas. Troops, assemble.
Trump to Values Voter Summit: "We are stopping cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values…We’re saying ‘merry Christmas’ again." pic.twitter.com/Kp8J0XdtOJ
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) October 13, 2017
And in this case, good for him. "Judeo-Christian" was always a bullshit term which just meant "Christian, but also we pretend to not hate Jews."
Also a reminder that it's time to begin the War on Christmas. Troops, assemble.
Courage
They're coming for the public space.
And they still won't work.
The coming onslaught of driverless cars will require dramatic changes to our streetscape, including new traffic management strategies and a reevaluation of curb and other parking spaces, according to a new report by the Regional Plan Association. But they will only do so if city officials can muster up the courage to transfer space traditionally allocated for cars to high-occupancy transit and autonomous vehicles. Even an act as simple as repainting lane markings and replacing worn out signage will help improve self-driving cars’ ability to “see” their surroundings.
And they still won't work.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Grosse Fuge
Spent my lunch watching this (well, not actually this precise performance, but this piece) because I can do that sometimes.
What's It All About Then
I'm stealing this basic point from someone on twitter (but I forget who, sorry), which is that for Democrats, sexual harassment and assault are...bad. Republicans don't care. So for them the Weinstein issue is just a lol libturds are big hypocrites. You say you don't like rape, but here's a liberal who is an accused rapist! hypocrites!!@@!!!!!@!!@
Reporters don't understand this, so they think the right is genuinely outraged about sexual assault. They aren't. They just think lol hypocrites!!!
They are strange people.
Reporters don't understand this, so they think the right is genuinely outraged about sexual assault. They aren't. They just think lol hypocrites!!!
They are strange people.
What Could Go Wrong
Basic congestion is a problem, of course, but so are accidents. Take away the shoulder, and...
PennDot officials have been discussing opening shoulders to traffic on the region’s highways, including the Schuylkill Expressway, as a way to ease congestion.
On Friday, PennDot said it would try the technique on I-476 and I-95 in Delaware County as well. The approach is planned for bottleneck areas on the Blue Route between Route 3 and I-95, and on I-95 between I-476 and Route 322 and the Commodore Barry Bridge. Shoulders would be open for travel only during peak rush hours.
These Are Strange People
Birds of a feather flock together, blahblahblah, but I don't get how people like this manage to find each other.
Zinke rode to work on horseback on his first day in office and displays animal heads on his wood-paneled office walls. For a while, he kept a glass-case display of hunting knives but was asked to remove them because of security risks, according to people familiar with the decision.
He has commissioned commemorative coins with his name on them to give to staff and visitors, but the cost to taxpayers is unclear. Zinke’s predecessors and some other Cabinet secretaries have coins bearing agency seals, but not personalized ones.
I See Myself On The Idiot Box
Not a new point here, of course, but Trump literally has the panopticon at his disposal but prefers to have his "information" presented to him by a shitty cable news morning show on a network which barely has a news operation at all.
Sundown
Trump tried to walk out without signing his Trumpcare executive order yesterday.
The least of our problems.
The least of our problems.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Sundown
I try to flap my little butterfly wings. It's all I can do. This sucky blog is not so important. I flap. Flap flap flap.
On Earth-4, Stynli Kabreek made a movie about a senile president, whose senility was clear to everybody, who destroyed human civilization because someone brought him a sesame bagel instead of a poppy seed bagel.
Stynli Kabreek is so funny.
On Earth-4, Stynli Kabreek made a movie about a senile president, whose senility was clear to everybody, who destroyed human civilization because someone brought him a sesame bagel instead of a poppy seed bagel.
Stynli Kabreek is so funny.
No You're The Radical
One thing I enjoy (ok, not really enjoy enjoy, but you know what I mean) is watching the various shades of radicalism, from cream to putty. Everyone wants to feel, just a little bit, that they're bucking the status quo, but not by too much. What I want is possible, what you want is crazy!
We all have our roles. The crazies make what the practical radicals want possible. It has always been this way. Stop being so mad at each other.
We all have our roles. The crazies make what the practical radicals want possible. It has always been this way. Stop being so mad at each other.
Dustbowl
A decade later, it looks like the Great Recession may be worse than the Great Depression https://t.co/Z5BZyNSAdN pic.twitter.com/AfbXO5VpPb
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) October 12, 2017
I think it will be the forgotten depression. The triumphalism of neoliberal capitalism and Fed independence made this unpossible, and the unquestionable stewardship of Obama/Geithner rendered it moot. I'm not sure that even historians - decades later, as is their privilege - will grapple with this fact.
Empires fall.
For the Man Who Has Everything
President Pence will be horrible. Probably much worse for liberalism than Trump will be. I think Pence is probably about as dumb as an American as exists, though he knows how to present his white guy serious face to pretend otherwise. And, more importantly, he's about as horrible as an American as exists. But he (I think?) will be slightly less likely to blow up the world.
From Bean To Cup
I will spare you the giant essay I could write about this issue (mostly because I am lazy), but... dumbasses.
Republicans Aren't Going To Save Us
And one can argue about the power of the "mainstream" elite media organizations, but they aren't willing to try, either. Their bosses want their tax cuts, also, too.
Sundown
It's a bit more... mainstream...now... but I posted this at the time because it was obvious and no one in "serious" journalism could say it or even really suggest it. I don't mean I'm a sort of brave truthteller, I just mean I'm a dumb blogger who can say what he wants and journalists, for better or for worse, "can't" always (sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not).
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Uber'd
Back when the DNC was in town all the Very Important People (you know, elite journalists), complained endlessly that it was extremely difficult to get their Ubers back from the convention when it was over to travel the 4.5 miles or so back into Center City. For some reason they had this idea that 20,000 people leaving a place simultaneously can, logistically, catch a taxi all at once without any hassle.
We have a lovely little subway that was all stacked up with extra trains, as there always are after events in the arenas/stadiums to take them back but they wanted their magic Uber rides.
Just think. You cannot possibly get that many people into cars quickly. It just can't be done.
Also, too, self-driving taxis.
We have a lovely little subway that was all stacked up with extra trains, as there always are after events in the arenas/stadiums to take them back but they wanted their magic Uber rides.
Just think. You cannot possibly get that many people into cars quickly. It just can't be done.
Also, too, self-driving taxis.
Driverless Taxis
The obsession with driverless cars primarily focused on them being driverless taxis is another hint that the people trying to make these things have no idea what they're doing, or at least why they are doing it. Creating a driverless car that rich guys like me (joke) can buy and program to take us to work and back (another joke, that's my couch!) and maybe program them to take them to a few other set destinations in nice sunny locations like Phoenix seems reasonably possible if not all that useful (hey, I'm a rich guy, so who cares). Creating a driverless taxi requires creating something which can go anywhere and figure out how to stop and pick up people and do so in places where there are potentially lots of other cars and taxis trying to do the same. Airports, crowds coming out of concerts and other events, that kind of thing. Places where dozens of cars and hundreds of people are milling about in a chaotic fashion. Where the hell do you think people need taxis? In numerous ways, the driverless taxi is the most complicated (and not clearly most lucrative) application for driverless cars. I mean, I get that it's the science fiction dream. Snap your fingers and your robot chauffeur shows up and takes you anywhere you want to go. Cool, tech bro, super cool. Hopefully I can summon it by talking to my Google Glass. But making a (somewhat) useful driverless car is sooooo much easier than making a useful driverless taxi.
Brexit Madness
A weird fantasy of the Brexiteers is that other countries think the UK's interests are important, or that those interests, in most cases, matter it all for their own interests. Italy doesn't need to sell you Prosecco. Germany doesn't need to sell you cars (you're going to buy them, anyway, by the way), and Donald Trump isn't going to be benevolent (someone should have told May that it isn't one of his defining characteristics).
Whatever one thinks of our various international trade regimes, the underlying philosophy is that if we can prevent a large group of countries from having trade wars then everyone benefits. Obviously it's important how we define "everyone" but the idea is that every country, in some sense, benefits. True or not, that's the idea. But if you take yourself out of the club, or one of the clubs - as the UK is doing - it doesn't follow that other countries, or the club you just left, can't benefit by totally screwing you, or at least by using their greater bargaining power to strike a deal that benefits them (or at least politically connected industries) more.
The UK will have almost no bargaining power. All trade agreements have a thousand different industry groups and their lobbyists screeching about the specific quotas and tariffs that their little niche industry requires. That's part of the justification for trying to Fast Track trade agreements (the other is to keep them secret as long as possible to sheild politicians from accountability...), because otherwise such agreements would be impossible. Again, that doesn't mean that system is Good, it just means that if the UK removes themselves, in part, from that system, by removing themselves from the EU, they're going to have to deal with negotiating with every country. Good luck!
Before the shock and magnitude of the leave vote had really sunk in, Theresa May was jetting off to the US to hold hands with Donald Trump to beg him for a trade deal. He agreed, apparently with great enthusiasm. “We could have a really, really good trade deal,” he confirmed by Twitter. Great news to Brexiteers still euphoric at the result they had just pulled off. The problem is that Trump didn’t say who this deal would be good for, although the clue is in his campaign slogan: America First. Further information can be found in his book The Art of the Deal, wherein he explains that you always make a deal with your opposite number when they are vulnerable because this allows you to win by making them lose.
Whatever one thinks of our various international trade regimes, the underlying philosophy is that if we can prevent a large group of countries from having trade wars then everyone benefits. Obviously it's important how we define "everyone" but the idea is that every country, in some sense, benefits. True or not, that's the idea. But if you take yourself out of the club, or one of the clubs - as the UK is doing - it doesn't follow that other countries, or the club you just left, can't benefit by totally screwing you, or at least by using their greater bargaining power to strike a deal that benefits them (or at least politically connected industries) more.
The UK will have almost no bargaining power. All trade agreements have a thousand different industry groups and their lobbyists screeching about the specific quotas and tariffs that their little niche industry requires. That's part of the justification for trying to Fast Track trade agreements (the other is to keep them secret as long as possible to sheild politicians from accountability...), because otherwise such agreements would be impossible. Again, that doesn't mean that system is Good, it just means that if the UK removes themselves, in part, from that system, by removing themselves from the EU, they're going to have to deal with negotiating with every country. Good luck!
Looting
There is something wrong with the American mind when in the middle of natural disasters, a top concern is "looting," especially by first responders. Especially during something like a hurricane, when "looting" might simply mean "taking water from the 7/11 in order to survive." But even generally. Fine, thieves, go steal my shit. It should be lowest in the list of concerns at these moments.
You're preventing people from getting out there and helping to prevent others from dying and *helping them make sure more of their important valuables survive the fire* out of vague concern for "looting."
jfc
The Sonoma County Sheriff's office, tipped off by a concerned resident, shared a call to action on its Facebook page Tuesday, before quickly retracting it.
"Okay, Sonoma County, let's catch this crook. This truck is a suspect in a potential attempted looting in the Bennett Valley area," read the post, alongside a picture of a black pickup truck and a phone number to call.
...
The "suspect" turned out to be someone "assisting his friend in a time of crisis," according to a revised Facebook post by the sheriff's department.
"His actions were seen by a passerby and misinterpreted as looting when he was, in fact, selflessly assisting his friend," the social media post continues. "Thank you for helping others in this time of crisis and our apologies for the mix-up."
Fear of looting prompted officials to set a curfew between 6:45 p.m. and 7:15 a.m. in the evacuated areas of Santa Rosa.
You're preventing people from getting out there and helping to prevent others from dying and *helping them make sure more of their important valuables survive the fire* out of vague concern for "looting."
jfc
The Bush Administration Was Bad
Remember how we used to seriously debate torture, like this was something to be debated? Lots of eventheliberals liked the torture, but, you know, only if it was done right for the right reasons. Those sensible centrists, always sensible.
Always we did the torture.
Always we did the torture.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
whispers: they don't exist
But, hey, roll out the ad campaign anyway.
In a few years you can all dunk on me when you're all riding around in these things, but I do think spending a lot of money (and hiring King James costs a lot of money) to market a product which does not exist and which even its slightly more honest boosters admit won't exist for a few years is hilarious.
To be human is to fear the unknown. And since only a tiny fraction of people have ever had the experience of riding in a self-driving car, most fear them: the loss of control, the distrust of the technology, the fear of malicious hacking, etc. The companies that hope to eventually make lots of money on autonomous vehicles realize their promised riches will never materialize if they can’t convince ordinary people to go for a ride. Which brings us to LeBron James, who I’m told is a very famous basketball player.
Starting today, James will headline a broadcast and digital ad campaign aimed at building trust in autonomous vehicles. The campaign, which features a trepidatious James getting in the backseat of a driverless sedan, will lead up to the NBA season opener between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics on October 17th. It’s the first time self-driving cars have been marketed to the general public, and it’s airing before this technology is even commercially available.
In a few years you can all dunk on me when you're all riding around in these things, but I do think spending a lot of money (and hiring King James costs a lot of money) to market a product which does not exist and which even its slightly more honest boosters admit won't exist for a few years is hilarious.
Ads
Every now and then a bad one gets through, either because it has auto-on audio (it shouldn't) or because it's borderline (or actually) NSFW or similar. The thing is I don't see the same ads you do, so I can't always know. I just blocked a few that I saw but of course that doesn't mean any of you ever saw them. Still if you see an ad you don't like, sadly the easiest and sometimes only way for me to block it is if you can figure out the landing page, and the easiest way to do that is click the ad. But if you have ad complaints at least try to send me a screen shot. Otherwise..it's hard to do anything.
The Political Internet Is Made Of White Collar Professionals
Not entirely, of course, but who has the time and energy for their hobby to be a news junkie, or comment on the twitters, or otherwise pay attention. It's wrong to assume the dog (on the internet, nobody knows...) you're talking to is financially secure (as anybody is these days), but it's certainly a reasonable guess.
I'm a bit being the annoying white guy who stands up during every panel Q&A and makes the obvious if true point that there isn't enough diversity on the panel. It is good that this point is made, it is a bit weird that it seems to be the same annoying white guy at every panel who does it. Too often it seems like performance more than concern. Anyway, at a different level, making the also obvious point that whether America Is Already Great* depends on who you are talking to, and we don't all talk to the same people.
*This will make people Mad (you are allowed to be Mad!) because it is a dig at Hillary Clinton. And, you know what, it is. This is not about the election. Not everything is about the damn election. It is because shit is fucked up and bullshit and most elite Democrats still think, basically, if people just play by the rules and work hard enough, life will work out pretty well for them. I don't know how much it ever was that way - it was, I think, true for a time for a larger segment of society than it is now - but it certainly is not true now.
I'm a bit being the annoying white guy who stands up during every panel Q&A and makes the obvious if true point that there isn't enough diversity on the panel. It is good that this point is made, it is a bit weird that it seems to be the same annoying white guy at every panel who does it. Too often it seems like performance more than concern. Anyway, at a different level, making the also obvious point that whether America Is Already Great* depends on who you are talking to, and we don't all talk to the same people.
*This will make people Mad (you are allowed to be Mad!) because it is a dig at Hillary Clinton. And, you know what, it is. This is not about the election. Not everything is about the damn election. It is because shit is fucked up and bullshit and most elite Democrats still think, basically, if people just play by the rules and work hard enough, life will work out pretty well for them. I don't know how much it ever was that way - it was, I think, true for a time for a larger segment of society than it is now - but it certainly is not true now.
From Rocket Man To Liddle Corker
The least important thing in the world (though perhaps yet another indicator of certain things), but Trump's devastating nickname game is a bit off.
Monday, October 09, 2017
Nightmare Job
Worse than air traffic controller.
Or the cars are just going to sit in the middle of the intersection while they phone home until road ragers baseball bat them.
Waymo is getting ready to take the same approach. The company has built a real-time command center that allows self-driving cars to "phone home" and consult human operators about the best way to deal with situations it finds confusing. The ability to remotely monitor vehicles and give timely feedback on tricky situations will be essential if Waymo hopes to eliminate the human driver from its cars.
Or the cars are just going to sit in the middle of the intersection while they phone home until road ragers baseball bat them.
Only Republicans Can Save Us, But They Won't
They don't have to remove Trump from office to make things harder for him. They can block his "agenda" (he doesn't really have one, mostly, but whatever he happens to want that day). They can revoke the goddamn AUMF. They can chip away around the edges of his executive authority the way they always did with Obama (Guantanamo is still open, guys). They can be in open revolt about everything he does.
They won't.
And regarding Corker: for the kids, WWIII isn't code for renewed trench warfare in Flanders. It's code for nuclear annihilation of civilization. As long as they get their tax cuts first, I guess.
They won't.
And regarding Corker: for the kids, WWIII isn't code for renewed trench warfare in Flanders. It's code for nuclear annihilation of civilization. As long as they get their tax cuts first, I guess.
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