By Elizabeth Wehling:
"Every single word evokes a frame in the recipient’s mind. This is true
for all language. The word 'salt', for instance, evokes a frame that
infers concepts like eating, food, taste, and even thirst. Moreover, our
brains simulate taste when processing the word -- that is, they
activate the same neural circuitry that is activated when we taste
something! Frames are the deep, conceptual patterns that store and
structure this world experience. They are invoked by language and images
and, in turn, guide our perception of whatever is the issue at hand.
Extensive behavioral research leaves no doubt -- it is frames, and not
facts per se, that our minds rely on for decision-making."
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Hannity v. Smith @ Pox Views
Hannity rants conspiracy theories that Dump then repeats, while Smith debunks them all.
Daniel Gil fastest qualifying finish on ANW
And he gets the $10,000 bonus for beating the 18 foot megawall.
Fed loosens Volcker Rule
You know, that rule in Dodd-Frank that prevents big banks from using your money for speculative bets. Dumpland has rolled it back because the big banks want to gamble with your money again and don't give a shit if it causes another financial crisis, knowing they'll be bailed out yet again leaving the rest of us to pay for it. Swamp is overflowing into every nook and cranny on earth now.
Ambian maker: Racism is not a known side effect
Roseanne blamed taking Ambien for her racist Tweet that got her fired. Sanofi, the makers of Ambien, Tweeted that while the drug has known side effects, racism is not one of them. Although it is well known that watching Pox Views and/or Dump definitely does have racism as its main effect.
Eco-socialism: A real and radical left
From this piece:
"Capitalists are driven to pillage and poison and rape the common good, including the ecological commons, by systemic imperatives compelling them to relentlessly commodify everything under the sun and to drive infinite growth on a finite planet. [...] Beseeching our capitalist masters to be nicer and smarter for the common good of all is a fool’s errand. [...] We know there’s no appealing to capitalist chieftains’ better angels where money and profit are concerned."
"The only solution, a real left would know, along with Marx, is for workers and citizens to organize collectively to overthrow the amoral profits system and take control of what they produce and how society is organized. Power to the people. Power to the workers. And power to the commons, whose enclosure was and remains among other things the making of modern capitalism and its wage-enslaved working class. That is what I have always understood to be the basic irreducible bottom-line perspective of anything that deserves since the time of Marx to be called 'the left.'"
"Capitalists are driven to pillage and poison and rape the common good, including the ecological commons, by systemic imperatives compelling them to relentlessly commodify everything under the sun and to drive infinite growth on a finite planet. [...] Beseeching our capitalist masters to be nicer and smarter for the common good of all is a fool’s errand. [...] We know there’s no appealing to capitalist chieftains’ better angels where money and profit are concerned."
"The only solution, a real left would know, along with Marx, is for workers and citizens to organize collectively to overthrow the amoral profits system and take control of what they produce and how society is organized. Power to the people. Power to the workers. And power to the commons, whose enclosure was and remains among other things the making of modern capitalism and its wage-enslaved working class. That is what I have always understood to be the basic irreducible bottom-line perspective of anything that deserves since the time of Marx to be called 'the left.'"
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Is there a universal morality?
This question was posed by the Evolution Institute to 15 respondents included in this article. There are also reader comments after the respondent statement. Respondents fall into 3 categories: yes, no or maybe. Interesting, articulate discussion informed by evolution science.
The Adventures of Ed the Head, Chapter Two
Available in the same document here, starting on p. 7. A teaser follows. See the link for the rest.
Interlude
All
you women's libbers are probably out there by now crying what a male
chauvinist pig I am. All right, so I admit it. At the age of 21 I was
very chauvinistic. That was the way I was brought up in this culture
and that was the way I was. Sure, I had love emotions, just like
other guys. But we only spoke in these terms to the women. (More like
girls, at this point. And yes, we were more like boys then too.) To
our male peers we had to portray the image of conqueror and speak in
crude, impersonal language to impress our friends of our manhood.
Now
that I'm 28 I've abandoned some of this crap and can openly express
love for my present lover, not only to her but to my male friends as
well. I'm living and learning and treating people with respect, or at
least trying to. But sure, there's still some of that macho left in
me, even though I detest it. It still gives me pleasure on occasion
to get drunk with the boys and talk about blow jobs we have known.
And women do it too, don't say you don't. It makes for a better novel
to describe things from a self-centered, immature viewpoint. It gives
a chance for all of us to relate to that cheap part of ourselves we
all have but hate to admit. Besides, this novel is from the point of
view of that 21 year old, in his voice and experience.
Gowdy confirms Dump is lying about a spy
Gowdy is a Republican on the House Intelligence Committee that saw the FBI information on their informant in the Dump campaign. And Gowdy said the FBI did what their legal duty given the information they had about Russia interfering in our elections. And some in the Dump campaign were indeed meeting or communicating with some of the Russian involved so it was a legitimate, legal procedure. Of course Gowdy is retiring so has the luxury of being truthful, at least partially. He's still hedging and making excuses as you'll see in this video.
Christianity 101
For real Christians, not the fake ones who want to deport those "evil, lazy aliens that don't deserve to be here."
"Christians shouldn’t extoll the virtues of being a citizen in heaven if they’re willing to deny people a citizenship on earth. [...] Although people can be given labels such as ‘alien,’ ‘immigrant,’ ‘undocumented,’ and ‘illegal,’ as Christians we should know that immigrants — regardless of their legal status — are individuals deeply loved by God and created in God’s Divine image. Sure, there may be political and ideological reasons to deport immigrants, but there are no theological ones, and whether you like it or not, Christians are called to help them."
"Christians shouldn’t extoll the virtues of being a citizen in heaven if they’re willing to deny people a citizenship on earth. [...] Although people can be given labels such as ‘alien,’ ‘immigrant,’ ‘undocumented,’ and ‘illegal,’ as Christians we should know that immigrants — regardless of their legal status — are individuals deeply loved by God and created in God’s Divine image. Sure, there may be political and ideological reasons to deport immigrants, but there are no theological ones, and whether you like it or not, Christians are called to help them."
Karen y Ricardo on World of Dance
They are 9-time consecutive world champion salsa dancers and they scored two 100s and a 99, the highest scores so far in the show's history.
Shep Smith at Pox calls out Dump's lies
Particularly the latest conspiracy theories on the Mueller investigation: "Unfounded, not based in fact or reason, with no evidence to support them." Smith then goes on to detail these paranoid delusions. No wonder Dumpsters are clamoring to get him fired, since they "can't handle the truth," as Colonel Jessup says.
Market socialism as viable alternative to neoliberalism
From this article. An excerpt:
"Political and economic thinking is currently dominated by neoliberal economic ideology and, in the mature capitalist societies, socialism as a counter ideology has weakened in the public consciousness. Market socialism, which blends public ownership with a market economy, is a practical political course involving a gradual reversion to public ownership, mutualisation and indicative planning. While market socialism has flaws, it is a step away from neoliberal policy and a movement towards social-democracy."
"Political and economic thinking is currently dominated by neoliberal economic ideology and, in the mature capitalist societies, socialism as a counter ideology has weakened in the public consciousness. Market socialism, which blends public ownership with a market economy, is a practical political course involving a gradual reversion to public ownership, mutualisation and indicative planning. While market socialism has flaws, it is a step away from neoliberal policy and a movement towards social-democracy."
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Roseanne cancelled for racist Tweet
Good riddance to this racist Dumpster. ABC cancelled the show after Roseanne Tweeted about Valerie Jarrett, an African-American adviser to Obama: "muslim brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby = vj." Apparently her character on the show and her real personality are one and the same, and it's ugly and hateful just like her hero Dump. ABC did this because at least in this case their ethical code was greater than their profit motive, as they gave up a lot of advertising revenue for this highly rated show.
Michel Bauwen interview on the latest in P2P
See it here. He defines P2P as follows:
"Peer to peer is a relational dynamic which allows every individual to connect ‘permissionlessly’ to any other individual. You could call it ‘networking freedom’ if you like. This has been a hallmark of small groups of humans but has recently been scaled up by technology, creating the possibility of global ‘open source’ civic networks and generative economic coalitions that are on a par, if not
surpassing, the capacities of both state hierarchies and capitalist market-dynamics.
"But be careful: the concept of p2p, which is derived from the new structure of computers in which every server is autonomous, is now used in two competing ways. One, which the way I use it, is peer to peer as the capacity for commoning, i.e. the free association to pool, mutualize and share resources; and two, the anarcho-capitalist, libertarian-propertarian vision, which sees society as a collection of individual entrepreneurs. Between the commons view and the hyper-market view, there is a huge stretch."
"Peer to peer is a relational dynamic which allows every individual to connect ‘permissionlessly’ to any other individual. You could call it ‘networking freedom’ if you like. This has been a hallmark of small groups of humans but has recently been scaled up by technology, creating the possibility of global ‘open source’ civic networks and generative economic coalitions that are on a par, if not
surpassing, the capacities of both state hierarchies and capitalist market-dynamics.
"But be careful: the concept of p2p, which is derived from the new structure of computers in which every server is autonomous, is now used in two competing ways. One, which the way I use it, is peer to peer as the capacity for commoning, i.e. the free association to pool, mutualize and share resources; and two, the anarcho-capitalist, libertarian-propertarian vision, which sees society as a collection of individual entrepreneurs. Between the commons view and the hyper-market view, there is a huge stretch."
Warriors go to finals again
And meet the Cavs, again. I was hoping for different teams this year, but they are the two best yet again. I'm going to have to go with the Warriors again. LeBron is the best player but he can't do it by himself against a superior overall team. I'd like to be wrong so we'll see.
Former Jordan Peterson supporter changed his mind
See it here. We know he's not a conservative because he changed his mind! ;)
"I was once his strongest supporter. That all changed with his rise to celebrity. I am alarmed by his now-questionable relationship to truth, intellectual integrity and common decency, which I had not seen before. His output is voluminous and filled with oversimplifications which obscure or misrepresent complex matters in the service of a message which is difficult to pin down. He can be very persuasive, and toys with facts and with people’s emotions. I believe he is a man with a mission. It is less clear what that mission is."
"I was once his strongest supporter. That all changed with his rise to celebrity. I am alarmed by his now-questionable relationship to truth, intellectual integrity and common decency, which I had not seen before. His output is voluminous and filled with oversimplifications which obscure or misrepresent complex matters in the service of a message which is difficult to pin down. He can be very persuasive, and toys with facts and with people’s emotions. I believe he is a man with a mission. It is less clear what that mission is."
The Muppets explain phenomenology
And the practical experience of humanistic existentialism. Warning: Deep philosophy and brain science involved.
Forward Not Back PAC supporting Martinez
Update on this post. Forward Not Back PAC is indeed spending money in support of Damon Martinez. That PAC is composed mostly of Wall Street types. I asked Martinez why they are supporting him. We'll see if he responds.
Monday, May 28, 2018
100% renewable energy grid already exists
Just not in the US. This article provides the details. Some excerpts:
"According to data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are seven countries already at, or very, near 100 percent renewable power: Iceland (100 percent), Paraguay (100), Costa Rica (99), Norway (98.5), Austria (80), Brazil (75), and Denmark (69.4). The main renewables in these countries are hydropower, wind, geothermal, and solar."
"A new international study, which debunks many myths about renewable energy, notes that many large population regions are 'at or above 100%' including Germany’s Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Hostein regions, New Zealand’s South Island, and Denmark’s Samsø island. In Canada, both Quebec and British Columbia are at nearly 100 percent renewable power."
"According to data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, there are seven countries already at, or very, near 100 percent renewable power: Iceland (100 percent), Paraguay (100), Costa Rica (99), Norway (98.5), Austria (80), Brazil (75), and Denmark (69.4). The main renewables in these countries are hydropower, wind, geothermal, and solar."
"A new international study, which debunks many myths about renewable energy, notes that many large population regions are 'at or above 100%' including Germany’s Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Hostein regions, New Zealand’s South Island, and Denmark’s Samsø island. In Canada, both Quebec and British Columbia are at nearly 100 percent renewable power."
Documentary: All governments lie
This film executively produced by Oliver Stone is particularly about the US and what you'll never see on corporate (aka State) media. Some of the blurb and preview below. Featuring Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, Jeremy Scahill, Carl Bernstein, Cenk Uygur, Matt Taibbi, Glenn Greenwald, Nermeen Shaikh, Chris Hedges, Michael Moore and more. You can watch the whole firm here.
"This film will change the way you look at the mainstream media or 'MSM'. Giant media conglomerates are increasingly reluctant to investigate or criticize government policies – particularly on defense, security and intelligence issues. They are ceding responsibility for holding governments and corporations accountable to the independent journalists and filmmakers who risk their careers, their freedom and their lives in war zones – to expose the truth."
"This film will change the way you look at the mainstream media or 'MSM'. Giant media conglomerates are increasingly reluctant to investigate or criticize government policies – particularly on defense, security and intelligence issues. They are ceding responsibility for holding governments and corporations accountable to the independent journalists and filmmakers who risk their careers, their freedom and their lives in war zones – to expose the truth."
White American intolerance connected to authoritarianism
Good article discussing this recent study.
The threat to our democracy isn't partisanship on both sides; it's intolerant white Americans that are prone to authoritarianism. When they imagine that their white identity is threatened they support undemocratic, authoritarian rule. And of course Dump is the perfect authoritarian to stoke their prejudices to impose undemocratic restrictions on some of the population. Which is, of course, a "repudiation of American values and democratic commitments."
Of course this phenomenon has been going on before Dump; it's been in the Repugnantan playbook for decades with vote ID laws and other voter suppression tactics that are specifically aimed at those of color. So it's no wonder that Dump comes along and takes over a playing field well prepared for just such a racist authoritarian.
So remember that what's going on is not equivalent on both sides of the political spectrum.* Liberals may be partisan but they do not suggest laws that curtail democracy but rather reinforce it.** These intolerant white Repugnantans are more than partisan; they are authoritarian and don't care if democracy is destroyed in the process of enacting authoritarian rule.
*Like Dump proclaiming that there were good people on both sides of a Nazi march. You know, the good Nazis.
** If you're thinking of the liberal student protestors wanting to prevent Nazis from speaking at their university, remember that the 1st Amendment does not allow any or all speech, e.g. fighting words. Being intolerant of racist hatred, a clear violation of free speech law, is not in any way the same as inciting racist hatred.
The threat to our democracy isn't partisanship on both sides; it's intolerant white Americans that are prone to authoritarianism. When they imagine that their white identity is threatened they support undemocratic, authoritarian rule. And of course Dump is the perfect authoritarian to stoke their prejudices to impose undemocratic restrictions on some of the population. Which is, of course, a "repudiation of American values and democratic commitments."
Of course this phenomenon has been going on before Dump; it's been in the Repugnantan playbook for decades with vote ID laws and other voter suppression tactics that are specifically aimed at those of color. So it's no wonder that Dump comes along and takes over a playing field well prepared for just such a racist authoritarian.
So remember that what's going on is not equivalent on both sides of the political spectrum.* Liberals may be partisan but they do not suggest laws that curtail democracy but rather reinforce it.** These intolerant white Repugnantans are more than partisan; they are authoritarian and don't care if democracy is destroyed in the process of enacting authoritarian rule.
*Like Dump proclaiming that there were good people on both sides of a Nazi march. You know, the good Nazis.
** If you're thinking of the liberal student protestors wanting to prevent Nazis from speaking at their university, remember that the 1st Amendment does not allow any or all speech, e.g. fighting words. Being intolerant of racist hatred, a clear violation of free speech law, is not in any way the same as inciting racist hatred.
Summary of legal documents filed in Mueller investigation
Good site that keeps updating the investigation. There sure is a lot of legal filings here that indicates this is a legitimate investigation with valid criminal charges and indictments. Just the latest below. See the link for much more.
False Statements and Conspiracy against the United States.
Brief Summary:
Rick Gates (Pleaded Guilty, 2/23/18)
Criminal Information (superseding previous indictment) available here; all docs, including guilty plea available here.
Pleaded guilty to:False Statements and Conspiracy against the United States.
Brief Summary:
The Pope on an ethical economic system
New statement from the Office of the Holy See. The Intro:
"Economic and financial issues draw our attention today as never before because of the growing influence of financial markets on the material well-being of most of humankind. What is needed, on the one hand, is an appropriate regulation of the dynamics of the markets and, on the other hand, a clear ethical foundation that assures a well-being realized through the quality of human relationships rather than merely through economic mechanisms that by themselves cannot attain it. This ethical foundation needs to inform a range of persons but especially those working in the fields of economy and finance. In this situation a synthesis of technical knowledge and human wisdom is essential. Without such a synthesis, every human activity tends to deteriorate. But where it exists, it can foster progress towards the integral and concrete well-being of the human person."
"Economic and financial issues draw our attention today as never before because of the growing influence of financial markets on the material well-being of most of humankind. What is needed, on the one hand, is an appropriate regulation of the dynamics of the markets and, on the other hand, a clear ethical foundation that assures a well-being realized through the quality of human relationships rather than merely through economic mechanisms that by themselves cannot attain it. This ethical foundation needs to inform a range of persons but especially those working in the fields of economy and finance. In this situation a synthesis of technical knowledge and human wisdom is essential. Without such a synthesis, every human activity tends to deteriorate. But where it exists, it can foster progress towards the integral and concrete well-being of the human person."
King James goes to the finals again
For the 8th time with yet another amazing performance: 35 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists. Who will they meet in the finals?
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Sen. Flake (R) on truth and lies
Flake is retiring so even though he's Republican he can start telling the truth (starting at 3:25 in the video below.) He gave a commencement speech at Harvard Law School where he criticized Dump for interfering in the administration of justice. He calls for others in his Party to call out Dump when he lies, otherwise they are complicit in those lies. He said that many of them are very alarmed by Dump, yet fail to speak up because they're more concerned with retaining their power then they are about the welfare of our country and its people.
Wonderboy Thompson got robbed
And these analysts agree. Granted Till won round 5 but Thompson had more strikes throughout the other rounds with Till doing virtually nothing except stalking around the cage. Till got the unanimous decision given these fixed results, two judges ridiculously scoring it 49 - 46 for Till.
Deb Halland misinforms about Martinez
Both are running to represent District One in NM. Halland said today on FB that Martinez is "massive amounts of dark money that Trump donor Republicans are pouring into this race." The facts from opensecret.com are something else. According
to this reliable source Martinez has received $80,402 in out-of-state
contributions compared to Haaland at $299,065. Also see the 2nd chart
showing Martinez gets most of his contributions within his district,
whereas Haaland gets most of her's out of district.
Warriors force game 7
With a dominant performance by Thompson and the team. Both series now head to game 7 to decide who goes to the final.
Bonnita Roy interview at Emerge
Titled: "How to speak across paradigms: Where Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris and Ezra Klein go wrong."
Why are young white men attracted to Peterson?
Good article on the end of the modern era, the necessity of the postmodern to question its assumptions, and the transition to a new era: "The emergence into a novel relational mode [...that] seeks dialectically to reconcile modern modes of thought based largely on reductionist materialism and the differentiation of logical, rational capacities (roughly correlated with the Aristotelian material and efficient causation almost exclusively privileged in modern science) with affective, intuitive, and somatic epistemologies generally more highly developed in premodern and primal world views (often correlated with Aristotelian formal and final causation)." Some excerpts:
"What is clear is that he consistently misuses profound ideas, especially those of C.G. Jung, to justify his misogyny. The primary problem with Peterson’s interpretation of Jung is that he conceives the archetypes too literally, especially as they relate to gender. [...] But the larger problem is that he uses this misreading of Jung as essentializing gender roles to rationalize a pernicious sexism masquerading as a defense of free speech and common sense. This message, framed as psychological theory and supported by questionable data, is resonating with many young men, providing an easy answer to a crisis of historical proportions. His response is to reject feminism and postmodernism (or at least his caricature of these movements), and essentially return to traditional gender roles, which Peterson argues are more biologically intrinsic than socially conditioned."
"He evidently wants to return to unquestioned patriarchy by paradoxically claiming that “the idea that women were oppressed throughout history is an appalling theory.” This is an insidious sleight-of-hand in which, by denying that patriarchal oppression ever existed, men can continue to ignore what many women have been saying for centuries, from Mary Wollstonecraft and Simone de Beauvoir to Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Kate Manne."
"What is clear is that he consistently misuses profound ideas, especially those of C.G. Jung, to justify his misogyny. The primary problem with Peterson’s interpretation of Jung is that he conceives the archetypes too literally, especially as they relate to gender. [...] But the larger problem is that he uses this misreading of Jung as essentializing gender roles to rationalize a pernicious sexism masquerading as a defense of free speech and common sense. This message, framed as psychological theory and supported by questionable data, is resonating with many young men, providing an easy answer to a crisis of historical proportions. His response is to reject feminism and postmodernism (or at least his caricature of these movements), and essentially return to traditional gender roles, which Peterson argues are more biologically intrinsic than socially conditioned."
"He evidently wants to return to unquestioned patriarchy by paradoxically claiming that “the idea that women were oppressed throughout history is an appalling theory.” This is an insidious sleight-of-hand in which, by denying that patriarchal oppression ever existed, men can continue to ignore what many women have been saying for centuries, from Mary Wollstonecraft and Simone de Beauvoir to Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Kate Manne."
The real welfare queens
The lost revenue from these corps is exponentially more than we spent on poor people that really need help.
My Q&A w/Lakoff on negative framing
Here's the FB Q&A, copied below.
Me: You've said that when we frame something with 'no' before it that just reinforces that thing. Yet Trump repeats the phrase "no collusion" and his followers do not think he's committed collusion. So how come Trump's "no collusion" frame doesn't do what you say it should?
Lakoff: It does not fit their frame. Trump’s staunchest supporters will not shift. That’s a key idea in Don’t Think of An Elephant. The question is how to reach biconceptuals - people with conservative and progressive views on different subjects. With these, “no collusion” does reinforce the frame. Public surveys bear this out. On the other hand, Trump’s die-hard conservative supporters might remain loyal to him even if he went on TV and confessed. They don’t care about his wrongdoing. They only care that he is a vehicle for the conservative agenda.
Me: You've said that when we frame something with 'no' before it that just reinforces that thing. Yet Trump repeats the phrase "no collusion" and his followers do not think he's committed collusion. So how come Trump's "no collusion" frame doesn't do what you say it should?
Lakoff: It does not fit their frame. Trump’s staunchest supporters will not shift. That’s a key idea in Don’t Think of An Elephant. The question is how to reach biconceptuals - people with conservative and progressive views on different subjects. With these, “no collusion” does reinforce the frame. Public surveys bear this out. On the other hand, Trump’s die-hard conservative supporters might remain loyal to him even if he went on TV and confessed. They don’t care about his wrongdoing. They only care that he is a vehicle for the conservative agenda.
The real fake news
UN launches war crimes investigation into Israel
For slaughtering innocent, unarmed women and children. 29 nations voted in favor of the resolution, 2 were opposed (the US and Australia) and 14 cowards abstained. The resolution condemned “the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli occupying forces against Palestinian civilians.”
Saturday, May 26, 2018
After Insanity
Democratic non-voters decided the '16 election
According to this Forbes story. HR Clinton was the problem above all else. Granted there was Russian interference against her, as well as Repugnantan voter supression. But Clinton herself just didn't inspire people that identify as Democrats, let alone progressives. This was so even among the black community per the stats. See the link for the facts on how many less votes Clinton got in
specific areas that Obama. If she would have kept pace she would have
won. I personally preferred Sanders but voted for Clinton because of
that idiot aka our Presidunce. But according to the story many found her
so repugnant that they just could not bring themselves to vote for her,
which confirms my personal anecdotal experience.
"He (Dump) won because Hillary Clinton was less attractive to the traditional Democratic base of urban, minorities, and more educated voters. This is a profound fact, because Democratic voters were so extraordinarily repelled by Trump that they were supposed to have the extra motivation to turn out. Running against Trump, any Democratic candidate should have ridden a wave of anti-Trump sentiment among these voters. It therefore took a strong distaste for Hillary Clinton among the Democratic base to not only undo this wave, but to lose many additional liberal votes."
"He (Dump) won because Hillary Clinton was less attractive to the traditional Democratic base of urban, minorities, and more educated voters. This is a profound fact, because Democratic voters were so extraordinarily repelled by Trump that they were supposed to have the extra motivation to turn out. Running against Trump, any Democratic candidate should have ridden a wave of anti-Trump sentiment among these voters. It therefore took a strong distaste for Hillary Clinton among the Democratic base to not only undo this wave, but to lose many additional liberal votes."
Pro-death, more like it
Regressives have a way of claiming to be the opposite of what they really are. It's how they rationalize in fake world.
Cavs take it to game 7
With James' astounding performance: 46 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals.
Friday, May 25, 2018
DNC Perez breaks promise
And endorses Cuomo for NY Governor when he said he would not interfere in elections. So are you surprised Tom Hartmann? You've promoted this guy repeatedly as the face of a new, progressive Democrat leading the Party to a new era. You still believe that? I know, you'll tell us to join the Party and change it. How about you changing your mind and using your show to tell the truth about Perez and the corporate Dims? Your influence will have far greater reach if you support progressive candidates and deride these corporatists.
Compare school shootings
Why do you suppose this is? How do these other countries out perform us? The answer should be obvious, but apparently not in the US.
The international municipalist movement
From this article:
"The municipalist movement is made up of an ecosystem of organizations working within and beyond electoral politics at local level. It’s a movement defined as much by how it does politics as by its goals, and it is this insistence on the need to do things differently that gives municipalism its unique strength in the current context.
"Municipalism works at the local scale. In an age of xenophobic discourses that exclude people based on national or ethnic criteria, municipalism constructs alternative forms of collective identity and citizenship based on residence and participation. Municipalism is pragmatic and goal-based: in a neoliberal system that tells us ‘there is no alternative’, municipalism proves that things can be done differently through small, but concrete, victories, like remuncipalizing basic services or providing local ID schemes for undocumented immigrants. Municipalism allows us to reclaim individual and collective autonomy; in response to citizen demands for real democracy, municipalism opens up forms of participation that go beyond voting once every few years."
"The municipalist movement is made up of an ecosystem of organizations working within and beyond electoral politics at local level. It’s a movement defined as much by how it does politics as by its goals, and it is this insistence on the need to do things differently that gives municipalism its unique strength in the current context.
"Municipalism works at the local scale. In an age of xenophobic discourses that exclude people based on national or ethnic criteria, municipalism constructs alternative forms of collective identity and citizenship based on residence and participation. Municipalism is pragmatic and goal-based: in a neoliberal system that tells us ‘there is no alternative’, municipalism proves that things can be done differently through small, but concrete, victories, like remuncipalizing basic services or providing local ID schemes for undocumented immigrants. Municipalism allows us to reclaim individual and collective autonomy; in response to citizen demands for real democracy, municipalism opens up forms of participation that go beyond voting once every few years."
Rockets go up 3 - 2
Great game, down to the wire. I'm hoping the Rockets take this series, as I'm tired of the Warriors dominating. Seems the Celtics will do it in the East.
The collaborative commons in Star Trek
The Star Trek: Voyager episode Unity, which I saw again last night, reminded me a lot of the collaborative commons. These ex-Borg have broken with the collective and regained their individuality. And yet they still retained a psychic link to each other and formed a co-operative. Chakotay, injured after being attacked and injured by invaders on their planet, is healed by linking with the co-operative. Afterward he rejoices in his ability to link directly with the others in the co-operative, even making love to one of its members. The episode, likely unintentionally, depicts the operating system of the collaborative commons: The ability to retain individual autonomy yet link with others in a greater cooperative effort that transcends the individual.
Kaepernick: Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience
Continuing the last post, his speech on accepting this award. Concise, powerful speech. I don't see any of the NFL owners getting this award.
Amazing what upsets a snowflake Repugnantan
Rampant murder of innocent, unarmed black men, no problem. Kneeling to protest that sort of thing, atrocious. No assholes, it is you who are atrocious.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Schiff on the fake Blight House spy
He was part of the Gang of Eight that met with the FBI and DOJ today to be briefed on Dump's claim that there was a political spy in his campaign. Schiff said after the briefing there is no evidence of a spy, and the DOJ and FBI followed all legal procedures in using an informant. In this video (2:40) Giuliani admits that the meeting's sole purpose is to get information about the Russia investigation to help Dump's defense.
Borowitz on the NFL anthem policy
Continuing this post, Borowitz weighs in on the issue.
NFL Adds 1st Amendment to List of Banned Substances
NFL Adds 1st Amendment to List of Banned Substances
NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—The
National Football League has expanded its list of banned substances to
include the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the
league confirmed on Wednesday.
Although the N.F.L. has long banned substances such as anabolic steroids and growth hormones, the First Amendment is believed to be the only right guaranteed by the Constitution to be included on the list.
Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, said that, by adding the First Amendment to the list of banned substances, the N.F.L was establishing a “policy of zero tolerance on tolerance.”
Although the N.F.L. has long banned substances such as anabolic steroids and growth hormones, the First Amendment is believed to be the only right guaranteed by the Constitution to be included on the list.
Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, said that, by adding the First Amendment to the list of banned substances, the N.F.L was establishing a “policy of zero tolerance on tolerance.”
Dump hurts minorities w/elimination of CFPB rule
This time the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule that prevents car dealers from marking up higher prices for minorities has been eliminated. The rule was put in place because car dealers were in fact engaging in minority price gouging. Now they're free to do it again. I just can't get over how great America is becoming under this Presidunce.
Nearly half of Dump's Twitter follower are fake
Not at all surprising for this fake Presidunce. Just like his inauguration claims are fake. Just like anything that comes out of his mouth or Administration.
"Trump's Twitter account saw an unusual spike in followers over the weekend, many of which appear to have been created artificially. [...] You can enter Trump's handle, @realDonaldTrump, into Twitter Audit, a service that assesses the authenticity of one's followers, and find that only 51 percent of Trump's are real."
Update: That link was from a year ago. I just did the Twitter Audit with the following result. Still, 10 million fake followers, at least some being bots and likely of Russian origin, can do a lot of damage.
"Trump's Twitter account saw an unusual spike in followers over the weekend, many of which appear to have been created artificially. [...] You can enter Trump's handle, @realDonaldTrump, into Twitter Audit, a service that assesses the authenticity of one's followers, and find that only 51 percent of Trump's are real."
Update: That link was from a year ago. I just did the Twitter Audit with the following result. Still, 10 million fake followers, at least some being bots and likely of Russian origin, can do a lot of damage.
Twitter Audit Report
Updated 20 hours ago
Raise teacher pay by eliminating the rich's tax cuts
A Democratic proposal. Of course it will never pass the rich-fellating Repugnantans, but it does serve as a campaign issue in the upcoming mid-terms. Strikes across the nation of producing teacher pay raises and increased education funding, so the public is on the teachers' side. When it comes to where the government should spend its money we the people say teachers, not the already greedy rich. Good strategy Dems.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Betsy DeVos caught in another lie
No surprise there, as this is the standard operating procedure of the Dumpsters. In this case she repeatedly denigrated a good public school so Congressman Courtney presents the facts and invites her to visit the school and respond to those factual reports. She once again prevaricates and refuses to acknowledge reality.
Why Dump attacks the press
According to Lesley Stahl's 2016 off camera conversation with candidate Dump he said: "You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all
so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you." He admits to gaslighting. Of course, Dumpsters will think even this fact is fake news and not believe it. Mission accomplished Fuhrer and your Goebbel's counterpart Huckabee-Sanders.
NFL's new national anthem policy
If you're on the field when it's played you will stand or else the team will be fined, as well as those that do not stand will be appropriately disciplined (whatever that means). If a player doesn't want to stand during the anthem then they should not take the field until it is over. I can't wait to see how many of the players refuse to come out on the field during this fascist tactic.
Teachers are fighting back and winning
From Thomas Frank. See the entire piece for much more on how we the people are learning from teachers how to fight the neoliberal oligarchy and win.
"That, folks, is the power of solidarity, and the wave of teacher walkouts is starting to look like our generation’s chance to learn the lesson our grandparents absorbed during the strike wave of the late 1930s: that given the right conditions and the right amount of organization, working people can rally the public and make social change all by themselves. Irresistibly. Organically. From the bottom up."
"That, folks, is the power of solidarity, and the wave of teacher walkouts is starting to look like our generation’s chance to learn the lesson our grandparents absorbed during the strike wave of the late 1930s: that given the right conditions and the right amount of organization, working people can rally the public and make social change all by themselves. Irresistibly. Organically. From the bottom up."
Global network of fearless cities
The FB post of the Libertarian Socialist Caucus is below, quoting from this article.
"Municipalism is a movement of cities taking power from states, and using that power to transform politics from the bottom up.
"Municipalism is a movement of cities taking power from states, and using that power to transform politics from the bottom up.
The conference named two goals for the municipalists:
1) to feminize politics — developing new ways of organising based on horizontal collaboration, collective intelligence and the politics of everyday life, and,
2) to stop the far right — combating the politics of hate and fear with local policies that reduce inequality and promote the common good.
1) to feminize politics — developing new ways of organising based on horizontal collaboration, collective intelligence and the politics of everyday life, and,
2) to stop the far right — combating the politics of hate and fear with local policies that reduce inequality and promote the common good.
Repugnantan obstruction ploy to defend Dump
Dump demanded that the FBI and Justice Department release documents to Repugnantans on the Intelligence Committee about a so-called political spy in his campaign. So that information will be released to 2 Repugnantans on the committee and no Democrats can see it! It is a blatant ploy for Nunes to then directly give this evidence to Dump in preparation for a defense against collusion and obstruction of justice. The mere act of Nunes doing this is itself yet another in a long line of examples of said obstruction of justice.
Schrodinger's immigrant
Typical Repugnantan illogic. Warning: Requires knowledge of Schrodinger's Cat, so that leaves out Dumpsters.
A Summa Cum Laude cake
Without the cum. The story starts around 1:10 in the video below. The grocery store Publix censored the cake order, refusing to put 'cum' on the cake, just a Latin word for 'with.' But they saw it as cum, as in ejaculate. So Colbert decides to cum on cupcakes.
Colbert on Dump trying to investigate his own investigation
Obstruction of justice much? The Constitution is begging for mercy while it's being strangled.
The Adventures of Ed the Head: Chapter One
Chapter One of my serial novel in progress can be found here. If you enjoy it please share. A brief teaser follows. See the link for the rest.
I had recently turned twenty-one and just got out of the Army January 20, 1974. General discharge under honorable conditions. February 28, 1974, my twenty-first birthday.
So here I was, just turned a man and just turned out on my own. Where to go and what to do? I was discharged from Fort Eustis, Virginia, and since my old home town where I was born and raised was Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I decided to head there. I hung around about a week after discharge in Virginia just getting stoned with friends wondering what to do now. I was staying at a friend's house in Virginia Beach. Right on it, too, not a couple of blocks away like most people who tell you they stayed “on the beach.” It was kind of soothing hearing the surf pounding away my worries about the future. Just relaxing, listening to music and getting stoned.
Then one day while some friends and I were doing acid and riding around the countryside I decided to head home. I'll never forget that day. We stopped at a park—and a national park too—and threw the Frisbee around in a large field. On the way back to the car we passed a cage with a bald eagle in it. A real, live, bald eagle. That sucker was big, too. Must've been 80 pounds. And this eagle was crying very loudly. Being high on acid we knew he was copping a plea to let him out and give him his freedom. You could see the sadness in his eyes. I wanted to and even suggested it. No, we can't do that, it's illegal, for Chrissake! It almost brought me to tears. We all felt bummed out because of it and left, no one saying anything for a long, long time.
I had recently turned twenty-one and just got out of the Army January 20, 1974. General discharge under honorable conditions. February 28, 1974, my twenty-first birthday.
So here I was, just turned a man and just turned out on my own. Where to go and what to do? I was discharged from Fort Eustis, Virginia, and since my old home town where I was born and raised was Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I decided to head there. I hung around about a week after discharge in Virginia just getting stoned with friends wondering what to do now. I was staying at a friend's house in Virginia Beach. Right on it, too, not a couple of blocks away like most people who tell you they stayed “on the beach.” It was kind of soothing hearing the surf pounding away my worries about the future. Just relaxing, listening to music and getting stoned.
Then one day while some friends and I were doing acid and riding around the countryside I decided to head home. I'll never forget that day. We stopped at a park—and a national park too—and threw the Frisbee around in a large field. On the way back to the car we passed a cage with a bald eagle in it. A real, live, bald eagle. That sucker was big, too. Must've been 80 pounds. And this eagle was crying very loudly. Being high on acid we knew he was copping a plea to let him out and give him his freedom. You could see the sadness in his eyes. I wanted to and even suggested it. No, we can't do that, it's illegal, for Chrissake! It almost brought me to tears. We all felt bummed out because of it and left, no one saying anything for a long, long time.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
World of Dance: Judges Battle
The judges do an awesome dance off. This is going to be a super season.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Supreme Corp screws workers, again
In their recent decision. As employees well know, they typically have to sign an agreement that in any dispute with the employer it must be adjudicated by an arbitrator, not a court of law. They also typically stipulate that said arbitration can only be on behalf of an individual employee, not employees as a class. And said arbitrator is inevitably hire by the employer and rules in their favor almost unanimously.
So the case before the Corp was for employees seeking to band together in a class when employers violate the National Labor Relations Act on issues such as wage and hour violations. Gorsuch, the newly minted lap dog of Repugnantas, wrote the majority opinion saying an earlier law, "the 1925 Federal Arbitration Act, trumps the National Labor Relations Act." (I don't think the word "trumps" is accidental here.)
The notorious RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) wrote the dissent noting that
So the case before the Corp was for employees seeking to band together in a class when employers violate the National Labor Relations Act on issues such as wage and hour violations. Gorsuch, the newly minted lap dog of Repugnantas, wrote the majority opinion saying an earlier law, "the 1925 Federal Arbitration Act, trumps the National Labor Relations Act." (I don't think the word "trumps" is accidental here.)
The notorious RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) wrote the dissent noting that
The Munk debate on political correctness
Houston police chief tired of gun rights excuses
This real Christian has had enough.
“I will continue to speak up and will stand up for what my heart and my God commands me to do, and I assure you he hasn’t instructed me to believe that gun rights are bestowed by him. The hatred being spewed in our country and the new norms we, so-called people of faith, are accepting, is as much to blame for so much of the violence in our once pragmatic Nation.”
“I will continue to speak up and will stand up for what my heart and my God commands me to do, and I assure you he hasn’t instructed me to believe that gun rights are bestowed by him. The hatred being spewed in our country and the new norms we, so-called people of faith, are accepting, is as much to blame for so much of the violence in our once pragmatic Nation.”
Metamodernist Freinacht's opinion of Peterson
From his statement here. See the link for his lengthy criticism.
"If you’re a follower and worshipper of Jordan Peterson on his anti-postmodern anti-feminism, shared by Camille Paglia, you have been worshipping a false god, an idol. You have been sold a golden bull. But Moses is here to cast it into the fire."
"If you’re a follower and worshipper of Jordan Peterson on his anti-postmodern anti-feminism, shared by Camille Paglia, you have been worshipping a false god, an idol. You have been sold a golden bull. But Moses is here to cast it into the fire."
Parametaic
From paragraph paragraph 57 of Abramson's criticism of Peterson, an enactive, de/reconstructive strategy in which I've long engaged. I call it parametaic.
"The inductive side of the solution for Twitter being shit is developing an idiosyncratic personal 'poetics' as a writer that embraces all the contradictory dialectics that exist inside of you as a unique, special, complex, dynamic human."
"The inductive side of the solution for Twitter being shit is developing an idiosyncratic personal 'poetics' as a writer that embraces all the contradictory dialectics that exist inside of you as a unique, special, complex, dynamic human."
How low income affects the brain
Article using a recent study by the Center for Vital Longevity and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Some excerpts:
"We often attribute financial problems to bad life decisions: Why didn’t that person stay in college? Why didn’t they pick a more lucrative career? Why did they have so many kids? But several recent studies suggest that having less money can actually affect thinking and memory for the worse. In the most recent of these papers, scientists found a link between being lower on the socioeconomic ladder and changes in the brain."
When they say "we" in the start of the above paragraph they mean regressive Repugnantans. Progressives don't make such fallacious and cruel assumptions.
"We often attribute financial problems to bad life decisions: Why didn’t that person stay in college? Why didn’t they pick a more lucrative career? Why did they have so many kids? But several recent studies suggest that having less money can actually affect thinking and memory for the worse. In the most recent of these papers, scientists found a link between being lower on the socioeconomic ladder and changes in the brain."
When they say "we" in the start of the above paragraph they mean regressive Repugnantans. Progressives don't make such fallacious and cruel assumptions.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Seth Abramson, metamodernist, on Peterson
Just a quick tease from this lengthy diatribe.
"I don't say any of this as a postmodernist. I'm not a postmodernist. I teach metamodernism at University of New Hampshire and, like many post-internet cultural theorists, I know that metamodernism is the post-postmodernism of the digital age. And Peterson is no metamodernist."
"I don't say any of this as a postmodernist. I'm not a postmodernist. I teach metamodernism at University of New Hampshire and, like many post-internet cultural theorists, I know that metamodernism is the post-postmodernism of the digital age. And Peterson is no metamodernist."
Cavs finally win one
After getting their asses handed to them in the first two games, the Cavs finally get it together for game 3.
What explains mass shooting in America?
Plain, simple and to the point: "The only variable that can explain the high rate of mass shootings in America is its astronomical number of guns." This conclusion is from a study by "Adam Lankford, a professor at the University of Alabama." See it for the stats, especially those comparing the US with other countries, most of which do not have our mass shooting problems.
Uber drivers real pay
According to the Economic Policy Institute study:
"Uber driver compensation—the income drivers get after deducting Uber fees and driver vehicle expenses from passenger fares—averages $11.77 an hour. This average Uber driver hourly compensation is substantially less than the $32.06 average hourly compensation of private-sector workers and less than the $14.99 average hourly compensation of workers in the lowest-paid major occupation (service occupation workers). [...] Uber driver “discretionary compensation”—the income drivers get after deducting Uber fees and vehicle expenses and the mandatory extra Social Security/Medicare taxes that self-employed drivers must pay—averages $10.87 an hour."
Keep in mind that as independent contractors they get no benefits. See the link for many more details.
"Uber driver compensation—the income drivers get after deducting Uber fees and driver vehicle expenses from passenger fares—averages $11.77 an hour. This average Uber driver hourly compensation is substantially less than the $32.06 average hourly compensation of private-sector workers and less than the $14.99 average hourly compensation of workers in the lowest-paid major occupation (service occupation workers). [...] Uber driver “discretionary compensation”—the income drivers get after deducting Uber fees and vehicle expenses and the mandatory extra Social Security/Medicare taxes that self-employed drivers must pay—averages $10.87 an hour."
Keep in mind that as independent contractors they get no benefits. See the link for many more details.
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Deb Haaland for Congress, NM CD1
Here's an excerpt from her article in the Albuquerque Journal:
"Affordable housing, access to food and access to healthcare are not luxury items that only the rich should have, and I plan to go to Congress and fight for working families across Albuquerque, New Mexico, and America to get a better deal. I’ll stand up for 100 percent renewable energy, Medicare for All, getting big money out of politics. If elected I’ll make history for New Mexico as the first Native American congresswoman. But I’ll also stir things up as a fierce and honest voice for the rest of us."
"Affordable housing, access to food and access to healthcare are not luxury items that only the rich should have, and I plan to go to Congress and fight for working families across Albuquerque, New Mexico, and America to get a better deal. I’ll stand up for 100 percent renewable energy, Medicare for All, getting big money out of politics. If elected I’ll make history for New Mexico as the first Native American congresswoman. But I’ll also stir things up as a fierce and honest voice for the rest of us."
Some Dump voters feel betrayed
As explained in the video below using information from this story. These comments are from people who are most adversely affected by Dump and Repugnantan economic policy, claiming now they feel stupid for believing this devil.
Sean and Kaycee on World of Dance
Sneak preview. They both start out blindfolded and manage to separate and reconnect without sight. Good preview of what looks to be an awesome season.
JP's strained relationship with Facebook's algorithm
Really gets to how Facebook sucks us in deeper and deeper until...
Heynabonics
The short video below is a primer for the regional dialect in which I grew up in NE PA. One can also see an entire dictionary on Coalspeak.
Kimmel on the Santa Fe shooting
As usual, he's right. All politicians have to offer are useless prayers and will do absolutely nothing about our gun problem. He encourages us to vote into office people who pledge and are committed to do something about it. This is truly a clear choice between the NRA protecting gun manufacturers and our children's lives. There is a link to everytown.org at the end, a student gun action comittee. Put your money where you heart and humanity are.
Maher: Dump is above the law
In this New Rule he explores that Dump is above the law, a heinous violation of our myth that no one is. The only two Constitutional remedies for a corrupt President are the 25th Amendment and impeachment. Neither will ever happen as long as Repugnantans control Congress and Dumpster criminals are in the Cabinet.
Maher's monologue
Topics include Dump's idiotic Tweets, Dump's incessant NRA fellating, Bill Gates on Dump, the Korean deal falling apart, Dump creating jobs in China (not America), China bribing Dump, Mueller's one-year anniversary (17 indictments, 5 guilty pleas), the Royal Wedding.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Government is protecting the wrong people
I guess since the NRA gives mega bucks to legislators, and high school students do not, the latter's very lives are acceptable compensation to them. And this is acceptable to us? I think not. Let legislators' A-rating from the NRA be a significant factor in whom you vote for in primaries and the general in '18.
Cambridge Analytica whistleblower: They preyed on racism
And tried to suppress the black vote. Wylie said to the Senate Judiciary Committee:
"Cambridge Analytica sought to identify mental vulnerabilities in voters and worked to exploit them by targeting information designed to activate some of the worst characteristics in people, such as neuroticism, paranoia and racial biases. To be clear, the work of Cambridge Analytica is not equivalent to traditional marketing. Cambridge Analytica specialized in disinformation, spreading rumors, kompromat and propaganda."
"Cambridge Analytica sought to identify mental vulnerabilities in voters and worked to exploit them by targeting information designed to activate some of the worst characteristics in people, such as neuroticism, paranoia and racial biases. To be clear, the work of Cambridge Analytica is not equivalent to traditional marketing. Cambridge Analytica specialized in disinformation, spreading rumors, kompromat and propaganda."
Racist ranter identified
The asshole in this video has been identified as lawyer Aaron Schlossberg. And now he's facing appropriate consequences for his racism. The office building where he housed his law practice has kicked him out. And "Congressman Adriano Espaillat and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
filed their complaint against Schlossberg to the New York State Unified
Court System’s Departmental Disciplinary Committee — calling on the
panel to investigate the attorney and possibly revoke his license."
Mud in the Gutter
February '78
Mud in the gutter
Who notices?
Someone passes by
Thinking of something else
Not see the obvious
In front of their eyes.
Mud in the gutter
Who notices?
That time you made the big
mistake
You know it was a big thing
then
Everyone saw the mud lying
there
And smeared it in your face.
Mud in the Gutter
Who notices?
But that same mud
Lies there now unnoticed
Forgotten by the filthy
souls
That wallow in it now.
Mud in the gutter
Who notices?
Huevos Rancheros
March '81
It gets lonely out on the
prairie at night
Nothing but the stars to
talk to
The moon listens to the
howls of the coyotes
And the campfire listens to
the sound of my farts
While I'm warming my hands
on the blaze
The smell of my farts remind
me of
Chorus:
Huevos Rancheros, been
playing on my mind
I love senoritas and ranch
style eggs.
I'm back at the ranch by the
crack of dawn
My wife's name is Dawn so
you catch my drift
Been out rustling cattle on
the range all week
And I'm hornier than a five
o'clock traffic jam
When the loving is done and
I'm one hungry cowboy
From the kitchen comes the
sweet smell of
Repeat Chorus
Was down in Nogales for a
spell last week
Hadn't planned on it but
bought a pound of gum
One little boy came up to me
and said
“Hey meester, you want to
try my seester?”
So I had her right there in
the kitchen where she worked
Right on top of a fresh hot
plate of
Repeat Chorus
When I got back from my trip
I noticed a drip
Funny thing my wife noticed
it too
She said “I ought to cut
that dirty old thing right off”
But instead she kissed me
and went to work
On an old family remedy her
mama had showed her
Around my manhood a hot
poultice of
Repeat Chorus
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Jeremy Lent responds to Steven Pinker
About Pinker's new book Enlightenment Now. Lent agrees with much of the information Pinker provided but criticizes that it is framed in neoliberal technocracy. Lent offers a point by point rebuttal to that framing with his own paradigm of ecological sustainability, providing his own charts and scientific validation. Good critique for anyone not completely ensconced by Pinker's dogmatic, capitalistic agenda.
FDA will only show Pox Views on their TVs
According to this CBS report. Some of the scientists there wanted to change the channel from Fox and were told the Administration forbids it, according to a leaked email. This is the result of an idiot in the Blight House that doesn't have the intelligence to know fake news when he sees it. Yet he must force everyone else, including scientists, to endure this fact-free channel. So much for their oft touted freedom.
"The reason for the change is that a decision from the current administration administrative officials has requested that all monitors, under our control, on the White Oak Campus, display FOX news."
"The reason for the change is that a decision from the current administration administrative officials has requested that all monitors, under our control, on the White Oak Campus, display FOX news."
Different Kind of Love
Lyrics to song, around 1982
Chord progression: 1st
section D C G; 2nd section Bm F#m C Em Bm G D
1st section
Ooo I feel so good I'm in
love again
Only this time it's
different maybe
This time around I ain't
gonna hold on.
I'll open my heart and say
that I love you
Give you everything I got I
will
Give you all the love I got
to give.
But this time we break on
out of the pattern
Loving then going our own
ways
Sharing but keeping out own
separate lives.
Not always expecting you to
be there
Getting along for myself
nicely
Learning to love and live
with myself.
2nd section
But of course I know
There are many complications
Always coming up against our
fears.
It's always easier
To say than to do
But I've got to learn to
love for free.
And all our crap comes out
We lay it on the table
There for us to plainly see.
Working and growing our way
To come kind of
understanding
Playing our ways in to each
other's hearts.
Next 1st section
Laurel or Yanni?
Which do you hear in this clip? I just had a hearing test and as I'm old now I don't hear higher frequencies well or at all, hence I hear Laurel. A neuroscientist in the clip below explains there are other reasons as to why we hear one or the other, even in different circumstances.
The rise of fake intellectuals
Packman explores in the video below, including Peterson in the category. Why do some fall for them? In their mind people are starved for the truth given the evil liberal media and their politically correct infringement of free speech. However the reality is more like the inability of these folks to discern genuine intellectual validity from pulp fiction that scapegoats straw arguments. It also helps when these gurus dumb down big ideas so that us common fold can understand them, since we're apparently averse to intellectually elitist jargon. There's also an element of apparent authority about the gurus that those so inclined fall prey to.
Dumpler: Immigrants "aren't people, these are animals"
Yep, he said that yesterday. The link reminds us that Hitler had the same sentiment for Jews. "Adolf Hitler justified the Holocaust by saying Jews weren't people but rats, as NPR notes." It's far from the first time Dump and Hitler have been compared, for good reason.
Dumpler:
Dumpler:
DeVos eliminates investigations into fradulent for-profit schools
It's bad enough she is taking public funds away from public schools and giving it to private schools. Now she's eliminating the Department of Education's investigative branch into fraudulent private schools, since nearly all of the private schools she's giving public money to are indeed frauds. Btw, DeVos has some investments is some private schools. The swamp never looked so fetid.
Swedish meatballs aren't really Swedish
Colbert reports on this shocking news. He even includes an Ingmar Bergman movie preview on the topic. Pretty funny.
Crystal Ann
Lyrics to the song, 1978
Chord Progression: A G F#m,
D D/E F#m, A Bm C#m D
Chorus:
Oh Crystal Ann, I hope you
understand
That I love you so very
much.
I pray you can see, the
blame's not all on me
It's just two people can no
longer touch.
Verses:
And as you grow tall, and
learn how to fall
You'll see people make
mistakes.
So try if you can, to
understand
I tried but just didn't get
the breaks.
I miss you a lot, a good
father I'm not
I dream that I can make
amends.
So one day real soon, we'll
both look at the moon
Holding hands and then again
be friends.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Progressive Dems continue to win primaries
You know, those Dems who actually listen to and support their constituents instead of big money. Flaming progressive Kara Eastman beat out corporate Brad Ashford in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. Same with Paulette Jordan for Idaho Governor. In Pennsylvania two progressives beat their corporate rivals for Congressional seats: Scott Wallace in the 1st district and Susan Wild won in the 7th district.
See the link for more. Progressive Dems are on the march and will not only win primaries but their upcoming mid-terms.
See the link for more. Progressive Dems are on the march and will not only win primaries but their upcoming mid-terms.
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