Or, alternatively, could we get a little more detail here, AP?
8.15.2015
I was just doing some dishes (yes! believe it!)…
…and listening to AP News on my iPhone using the Tune-In app. AP news, apparently, consists of continual repetitions of two news stories interspersed with ads for car insurance. One of the stories this afternoon is about the FAA hack oops malfunction, sorry, that's tying up air travel on the East Coast—except not so much at Atlanta. Today, which is Saturday here on the East Coast, is "among the slowest travel days of the week" at Atlanta, says a spokes. Which begs the question, since "among" implies there are more than one (or two) slow days, and there are only seven days in the week to begin with, just how busy is this Atlanta airport anyway.
Or, alternatively, could we get a little more detail here, AP?
Or, alternatively, could we get a little more detail here, AP?
SHOCKER! Senate has no clue
Bernie Sanders, an Outlier? The Senator Begs to Differ - The New York Times
"These days, Mr. Sanders, a professed socialist, does not feel rejected by his colleagues so much as baffled by a clubby institution that does not seem to understand the deep resentment about economic inequality that his campaign has tapped."
Who says there are no job opportunities any more?
Want to be a weed critic? Here's how to get hired - NY Daily News
"The Portland-based paper said it's seeking "an experienced cannabis consumer" with "deep knowledge" of strains and products."
Noted
Airbnb Horror Story Points to Need for Precautions - The New York Times
"Airbnb, Uber and their ilk have managed to get people to refer to them as pioneers of something called the sharing economy, a neat trick given that they are in the business of renting out rooms and charging for rides."
8.14.2015
Makes sense
Most Disliked Celebrity: Bill Cosby, Ariana Grande, More - Hollywood Reporter
"This is not so for Justin Bieber, who has the second-highest negative Q Score rating at 63. Bieber's negative rating, Schafer says, doesn't stem from any kind of ironic 'negative' admiration: it just means most people dislike him."
Blowin' in the wind
"With the amount of wind-generated power in the United States reaching record highs and its cost dropping to new lows, two Department of Energy reports released Monday suggest that the renewable energy revolution might be upon us."
As long as it's the right religion (wink-wink)
Carly Fiorina: Parents should not be forced to vaccinate their children - The Washington Post
"'We must protect religious liberty and someone's ability to practice their religion,' said Fiorina, receiving a round of applause. 'We must devote energy and resources to doing so. Period.'"
I'll take Manhattan
Donald Trump takes on New Hampshire | MSNBC
"'Trump is not really running a political campaign, a traditional campaign. He is running a PR campaign,' said Republican strategist Jamie Burnett, Mitt Romney’s former New Hampshire political director in 2007-2008. 'When he does pop into a state, he usually comes into a very controlled, spectacle event.'"
And what happened to the fries?
Mac attack! Pa. brothers in food fight over burger beef - NY Daily News
"Matthew Veres suffered bruises to his right eye and left cheek, along with facial cuts, according to reports.
"Thomas Veres was arraigned on simple assault and harassment charges before being jailed at Washington County Correctional Facility in lieu of $2,500 bond."
It's Navajo Code Talkers Day
Navajo Code Talkers - Interviews, Videos & More
National Navajo Code Talkers Day | HMH In The News
"For their bravery and service, President Ronald Reagan set aside a special day to honor the Navajo code talkers. In 1982, he declared August 14 to be National Navajo Code Talkers Day."
8.13.2015
Finally, something in DC makes sense
"WASHINGTON—Calling the late-night horror film host well-suited for the job “and then some,” Vice President Joe Biden offered Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, an entry-level position within the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, White House sources confirmed Thursday."
Oh wait. It’s The Onion.
Zoo…
…the novel by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, is sort of a cross between World War Z and any book you’ve ever read by Michael Crichton, with just a pinch of Dr. Strangelove tossed in for flavoring. Zoo, the CBS drama running this summer, is a cross between the book and any TV show you’ve ever seen. If you like your fun without undue thought required, both are recommend. (A link to the book is at the top of our reading list, right.)
But it'd be the Fourth, wouldn't it?
Could the Third Reich Happen Here? http://t.co/e7SgU8gfZd pic.twitter.com/tHIV6EFete
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 13, 2015Gotta love that Fred
Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments.
Frederick the Great
king of Prussia 1740-1786 (1712 - 1786)
Most entertaining election season ever
Some say Hillary Clinton may face David Petraeus’ fate | Boston Herald
"In April, a federal judge gave Petraeus two years’ probation and a $100,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor to sharing classified information with his biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell. Samuel “Sandy” Berger, a Clinton administration national security adviser, pleaded guilty in 2005 to violating the same law for removing documents from the National Archives."
They do say!
The strange rumors that surrounded the death of Warren G. Harding | Michigan Radio
"Harding was in San Francisco and his wife was reading a complimentary newspaper article about him out loud.
Suddenly, 'he shuddered and fell on his bed and, as they say, dropped dead,' says Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan Medical School."
Good point, Dr. Howard Markel.
8.12.2015
Descending into babble
Trump bombast overshadows GOP challenges with women
""Next to Trump, the other Republican candidates look like Gloria Steinem," said Penny Young Nance, president of the conservative Concerned Women for America."
Is there still room in the Republican primary for one more guy?
Freckled 3-year-old boy is mayor of Minnesota town | New York Post
"Anyone can become mayor of Dorset. A 4-year-old Chicago boy was once mayor and other candidates have included a local rooster who unfortunately met his demise before the drawing was held, according to an online description of the event."
Or two! That rooster thing sounds fun.
Or, wait—Larry Lessig might be looking for a veep.
What's in the deep fryer this year?
The Iowa State Fair begins on Thursday. See vintage photos: http://t.co/NlDcRSmcZs pic.twitter.com/dVBD3QVQJT
— LIFE (@LIFE) August 12, 2015
8.11.2015
On purchasing packs of politicians
Diverse 2016 candidates take in largely similar industry contributions | OpenSecrets Blog
"The funding sources consistently appearing among the candidates’ top five contributions include the lawyers and law firms, securities and investment, real estate, miscellaneous business and miscellaneous finance industries. This isn’t surprising, considering that three of these industries were listed in the top five interest groups giving to members of Congress during every election cycle since 2000."
Sounds like something The Donald would do.
And votes
Donald Trump’s future: There will be blood - Roger Simon - POLITICO
"Alex Castellanos, a Republican political consultant who has worked in the past for Bush, recently wrote in the conservative Independent Journal Review: 'Mr. Trump’s core supporters are an angry mob of peasants with glazed, unblinking eyes.’"
Walking in the rain can be fun…
…if it's not raining too hard (it is now but it wasn't then) and it's not too cold (it's 68°). Wear a good hat, put your phone in a baggie, and go for it. If you're worried about getting wet, wear a slicker or, if you're into elegant, carry an umbrella. The air smells good and you have the sidewalk to yourself. What's not to like?
8.10.2015
Some of the many things I've never understood
What the world is reading this summer - CSMonitor.com
"Monitor correspondents around the globe share what is flying off the shelves in their region…"
I’ve never seen a book fly, although I keep hearing they fly off of shelves. Am I just hanging around the wrong shelves or what?
And what is it that makes summer reading any different than, say, winter reading or reading in a tunnel? I don’t get it.
I like that "squishes" thing
"When Ted Cruz ripped the Republican leaders in Congress as untrustworthy squishes, nobody defended them. For that matter, when Trump defended himself against moderator Megyn Kelly’s accusations of sexism by complaining about political correctness run amok, nobody took Kelly’s side."
Plus, for extra points:
"PPP's newest Iowa poll finds Donald Trump leading the Republican field in the state even after a weekend of controversy. He's at 19% to 12% for Ben Carson and Scott Walker, 11% for Jeb Bush, 10% for Carly Fiorina, 9% for Ted Cruz, and 6% for Mike Huckabee and Marco Rubio."
The Rs keep whistling but the graveyard is still there.
Shooting stars
The Perseid Meteor Begins Its Peak TONIGHT - Don't Miss It! | IFLScience
"This year, the meteor shower will be most visible at its peak activity from Sunday (August 9) until August 14. If you’re looking for the optimum window to view the meteor shower, you’ll want to be looking to the skies during the early hours of the morning at the showers’ peak on Tuesday (August 11)."
Where I live is not an especially good place for watching this but where you live might be just right. It’s worth a try.
Tilted
How liberal is Massachusetts? - The Boston Globe
"The reason Massachusetts ranks so high on the list of liberal legislatures is that there are almost no conservative members. Not only do Democrats control roughly 80 percent of both houses, but the few Republicans who do hold seats are pretty centrist. They have roughly the same political preferences as Democrats in Oklahoma, and they’re actually further left than Democrats in Arkansas."
8.09.2015
Kelly Megyn or whatever your name is…
VIDEO: Women warn Megyn Kelly: Back off Trump! | The American Mirror
"Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson produced, 'Megyn Kelly and that Damn Debate,' today."
Seems like a good idea to me
What’s the Right Way to Teach Civics? - The New Yorker
"The institute decided to try and get states to make laws requiring that, before graduating, students pass a version of the exam given to aspiring citizens before they are naturalized."
Picky, picky
GOP rat pack begins to bite - Roger Simon - POLITICO
"They agree that Ronald Reagan would make a fine candidate were he not constitutionally ineligible and no longer alive."
On nuking New Mexico
A Haunting Timelapse of the 2,058 Nuclear Detonations from 1945 to 1998 http://t.co/dsJgc9Z8AK pic.twitter.com/6TQEeYSOHl
— Esquire Magazine (@esquire) August 9, 2015
Selfies take the stage
Trump the Disrupter - The New York Times
"The novelist Walter Kirn tweeted post-debate: 'Trump is simply channeling the bruised petty enraged narcissism that is the natural condition of Selfie Nation.'
After all, as James Gleick has tweeted, 'Running for president is the new selfie.'"
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