If Today Newspapers had had as many ads on its website as The Suburban now does, it never would have folded.
On the other hand, since it has no real, and definitely no really fresh, news on the site, those ads may be selling at bargain basement rates.
April 07, 2010
Discovery sells out to Palin – fight back
It's simply disgusting for the Discovery Channel to sell out its environmental history to host a Sarah Palin show, and even more disgusting to lie about why it's doing this.
But, you can fight back. Sign the petition to Discovery!
But, you can fight back. Sign the petition to Discovery!
RIP Wilma Mankiller — but no hagiography
A great activist for both women's and Native American rights has passed away.
That said, even Wilma Mankiller wasn't perfect.
Descendants of Cherokee-owned black slaves remain excluded from tribal rolls, despite many of them having Cherokee blood, analogous to descendants of white-owned black slaves, and also despite many a Cherokee having a dash — or well more than a dash — of white blood.
Unfortunately, Salon's story says nothing about the struggle of the slave descendants for recognition, nor about Mankiller's role in denying them this status.
The story has its complexities, in that the "white father" government in Washington, after forcing the Cherokee to accept that slavery was over (in 1866! the Cherokee remained holdouts!) also tried to push them into accepting the freedmen as part of the tribe. That said, due to the amount of racial commingling already among the Cherokees, why they resisted this already back then, I don't know, other than to say this is yet more evidence that racism is not confined to Caucasians.
That said, even Wilma Mankiller wasn't perfect.
Descendants of Cherokee-owned black slaves remain excluded from tribal rolls, despite many of them having Cherokee blood, analogous to descendants of white-owned black slaves, and also despite many a Cherokee having a dash — or well more than a dash — of white blood.
Unfortunately, Salon's story says nothing about the struggle of the slave descendants for recognition, nor about Mankiller's role in denying them this status.
The story has its complexities, in that the "white father" government in Washington, after forcing the Cherokee to accept that slavery was over (in 1866! the Cherokee remained holdouts!) also tried to push them into accepting the freedmen as part of the tribe. That said, due to the amount of racial commingling already among the Cherokees, why they resisted this already back then, I don't know, other than to say this is yet more evidence that racism is not confined to Caucasians.
Treat Karzai like Marcos?
A former Reagan-era officer in the State Department has some interesting ideas on how to marginalize Afghan President Hamid Karzai, all while meeting President Barack Obama's putative timetable for a surge then de-escalation.
Of course, Bing oversells Reagan's role in undercutting Marcos, ignores that Reagan was pressured into doing this, and ignores that Reagan gave Ferdinand and Imelda red-carpet treatment the moment they hit U.S. soil. Other than all that, and without Bing's attempt at enshrining St. Ronald of Reagan, the general idea is good.
Of course, Bing oversells Reagan's role in undercutting Marcos, ignores that Reagan was pressured into doing this, and ignores that Reagan gave Ferdinand and Imelda red-carpet treatment the moment they hit U.S. soil. Other than all that, and without Bing's attempt at enshrining St. Ronald of Reagan, the general idea is good.
April 06, 2010
Deep thought - Obama, Clinton and race
If Bill Clinton was America's "first black president," is Barack Obama America's "first post-racial president"?
Tiger Woods - a fail on the ad course
Tiger Woods may have 14 major championships, but, in terms of delivering more bucks, he's a duffer on the advertising pitchman links.
Questioning the brain's modularity a bit more
In recent years, the idea that the human brain is "massively modular" have come under more scrutiny. The latest on this? Different languages use different parts of the brain. I'm not saying the brain is not at all modular, just less modular than has been claimed.
And, this has implications far beyond language. Like for evolutionary psychology.
And, this has implications far beyond language. Like for evolutionary psychology.
I'm not shy, I'm bored
Well, I'm shy, or what you call shy, because I'm bored — and sensitive.
Both ideas make sense. Especially if Jung and followers were also at all right on the "draining" issue of too much social interaction for introverts, this all ties together.
In other psych news, here's some thoughts about why depression is on the rise in the modern world.
Both ideas make sense. Especially if Jung and followers were also at all right on the "draining" issue of too much social interaction for introverts, this all ties together.
In other psych news, here's some thoughts about why depression is on the rise in the modern world.
Top 1,000 reviewer on Amazon
Reviewing almost no classical fiction and absolutely ZERO modern everyday novels, I am now a top1,000 reviewer. Here's what I'm reading.
April 05, 2010
Religious belief may just be irrational
AND linked with a continuum of other irrational beliefs, per a new study in Finland.
It sounds like a very interesting article. Now (and not to oversell MRIs) it would be interesting to take this to the next level. Are their brains functioning differently in some specific ways?
And, if at least "opennmindedness" to religious belief does pair with the other beliefs, who will tell New Atheist "guru" (not in MY book he ain't) Sam Harris, already on the record as accepting the possibility of psi phenomena?
It sounds like a very interesting article. Now (and not to oversell MRIs) it would be interesting to take this to the next level. Are their brains functioning differently in some specific ways?
And, if at least "opennmindedness" to religious belief does pair with the other beliefs, who will tell New Atheist "guru" (not in MY book he ain't) Sam Harris, already on the record as accepting the possibility of psi phenomena?
Masters mystique kills Tiger booing
A few fans have already said they're worried about Masters Nazis bouncing them if they get negatively vocal about Tiger Woods.
Well, I'll do it for you.
Eff you, Tiger!
And, eff you, Augusta National.
You can thank me later, folks.
Well, I'll do it for you.
Eff you, Tiger!
And, eff you, Augusta National.
You can thank me later, folks.
Real estate bubble hits churches too
In the past decade, many of them overbuilt and overbought as much as many of their parishioners, and on as bad of mortgages. They're now paying the price. Especially for churches who preached the prosperity gospel, this is a definite moment of schadenfreude. And, interestingly, it's non-denominational congregations that are taking the biggest hit.
April 04, 2010
Can we have some silence, please?
Why? It's good for you, on both mental and physical health. Yet another way in which we the Americans could learn from elsewhere.
Stop eavesdropping, Obama!
Even the New York Times officially says "Stop it." It even compares the ideas surrounding warrantless wiretapping to the "double-secret probation" of "Animal House."
President Obama should read this court ruling with chagrin and eliminate warrantless spying. It is also far past time to stop hiding behind spurious, often ludicrous, claims of national security.However, The One, perhaps as messianic on national security as Shrub but in a "cooler" way, will go on his self-assured path of knowing what's best for Americans in this area.
April 03, 2010
Herr Ratzinger, aka Benedict, has ANOTHER problem
Holy crap, Bavarian neo-Nazis and Catholics. Uhh, Herr Ratzinger, when you get a chance, between child sex abuse woes and getting Jews mad, and speaking of that, you might want to tackle this:
A chapel built on a mountainside in Germany is turning into a shrine for neo-Nazis after it emerged that it was built with marble and grainte taken from the ruins of Adolf Hitler's luxury retreat.Oh. My. Fucking. Doorknob. Why the German Catholic Church hasn't taken the simple solution and just razed this place to the ground, I have no idea.
A swastika was reportedly found carved into one of the wooden beams of the Wegmacher Chapel, which was built in 1997, while local residents claim a number of shaven-headed, leather jacket-wearing 'pilgrims' leave behind notes of praise to Hitler and candles burning in his memory.
It was only recently that the Bavarian government admitted that material from the wreckage of Hitler's retreat, the Berghof in Berchtesgaden, was used in the construction of the chapel.
Some of the stones are from the terrace of the Berghof - quarried by Jewish slave labourers in concentration camps.
A collection plate for atheists
Not all atheists reject the "community" of organized religion, in the sense they recognize that the desire for community, while being addressed by organized religion, is not created by it. And, some of these atheists especially note that this "community" acts in part as a community of giving and caring.
And, one of them/us has now responded with, if you will, an online collection plate for atheists. At the same time, Dale McGowan defends past atheist giving levels, noting they haven't had this type of structure.
The story, that said, has a big empirical problem. It claims religious believers give more to charity, without parting out donations to religious denominations themselves.
And, one of them/us has now responded with, if you will, an online collection plate for atheists. At the same time, Dale McGowan defends past atheist giving levels, noting they haven't had this type of structure.
The story, that said, has a big empirical problem. It claims religious believers give more to charity, without parting out donations to religious denominations themselves.
Could iPad affect book copyright payments?
It's possible, and, per one non-fiction author, long overdue.
Obama WORSE than Bush on civil liberties
That's not just my word; that's from the guy who won the al-Haramain suit earlier this week.
April 02, 2010
Larry Lewis comes back to Best Southwest
You Lancasterites will love this one in south suburban Dallas.
The "late," not so lamented Larry Lewis, former Lancaster ISD superintendent, is now an interim assistant principal in Cedar Hill.
That said, showing how the Dallas Morning News' knowledge of the area has gotten ever thinner, and isn't challenged since I and Today Newspapers are no longer around, the Snooze story has one big error of commission and one of omission.
The error of commission claims Lewis hasn't worked since Lancaster let him go. NOT TRUE.
He was still peddling insurance, or consulting, or whatever, for AFLAC some time after that, because it became a matter of dispute in his settlement terms.
The error of ommission? Lewis' ex-wife, Sylvia (divorced after Lancaster canned him - I could say more) still works in Cedar Hill ISD as Highlands Elementary's principal.
"Ohhh, my," as George Takei would say!
Ohh, last I knew, Lewis' first ex-wife was still in Duncanville.
There's still DeSoto, Larry.
Also, per one commenter to the Snooze piece, why the rush, I rhetorically ask CHISD Superintendent Horace Williams? You've only got two months of school left. Second, did you talk to Sylvia about this at all? Third, as an interim hiring, did this dodge having to talk to the school board?
The "late," not so lamented Larry Lewis, former Lancaster ISD superintendent, is now an interim assistant principal in Cedar Hill.
That said, showing how the Dallas Morning News' knowledge of the area has gotten ever thinner, and isn't challenged since I and Today Newspapers are no longer around, the Snooze story has one big error of commission and one of omission.
The error of commission claims Lewis hasn't worked since Lancaster let him go. NOT TRUE.
He was still peddling insurance, or consulting, or whatever, for AFLAC some time after that, because it became a matter of dispute in his settlement terms.
The error of ommission? Lewis' ex-wife, Sylvia (divorced after Lancaster canned him - I could say more) still works in Cedar Hill ISD as Highlands Elementary's principal.
"Ohhh, my," as George Takei would say!
Ohh, last I knew, Lewis' first ex-wife was still in Duncanville.
There's still DeSoto, Larry.
Also, per one commenter to the Snooze piece, why the rush, I rhetorically ask CHISD Superintendent Horace Williams? You've only got two months of school left. Second, did you talk to Sylvia about this at all? Third, as an interim hiring, did this dodge having to talk to the school board?
Tricky Ricky Perry tells insurance lies
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is almost getting to the point of making George W. Bush look honest.
His latest? He lies about the cost of health insurance, and the degree of its coverage, in Massachusetts after the passage of "RomneyCare."
His latest? He lies about the cost of health insurance, and the degree of its coverage, in Massachusetts after the passage of "RomneyCare."
Vatican 'double fail' on child sex abuse
Herr Ratzinger! Pope Benedict XVI shoots himself in the foot twice with his personal preacher comparing, undenied, the child abuse row to anti-Semitism. We DO KNOW what organization, for well more than a millennium, has been the leading purveyor of anti-Semitism, starting with the First Crusade also conducting the First Pogrom. I think this is called "double fail."
Scat, scat from the mat, cat, scat
This week's installment of Friday scatblogging is also Friday catblogging.
Because, if you cat lovers will buy the Scat Mat, you'll keep that darned cat off the kitchen counter, or wherever, and you'll not inflict quite so many tales of cat frustration on people who don't necessarily thrill at the cussed-mindedness of felines.
Because, if you cat lovers will buy the Scat Mat, you'll keep that darned cat off the kitchen counter, or wherever, and you'll not inflict quite so many tales of cat frustration on people who don't necessarily thrill at the cussed-mindedness of felines.
Literature meets science
And college and grad school English departments may just get a big win. Cognitive science is informing lit classes and profs on just how the human brain interprets "layers" of conversation amdn more.
April 01, 2010
A 3-1 split for Dems in Texas Congressional redistrcting?
Riffing on a post in Burnt Orange Report, with multiple links there, here's my take on how redistricting could play out, if Texas gains four seats.
Given the growth in Democratic voters (per Kuff) in suburban areas, the growth in Hispanics statewide, etc., a 3-1 split reflects realities better, especially if Dems can regain the Texas House this fall, let alone the governor's office.
Specifically, creating a Hispanic-friendly district in the Metroplex, adjusting south/southwest Texas districts to possibly create a Hispanic-leaning district, and then doing the same in the Houston area, in exchange for letting the GOP gain an exurban district somewhere, is fine.
A sidebar to Dems insisting on a 3-1 split would be the GOP likely pushing to make Edwards' district even more Republican, though. But, this is all part of horse trading.
Given the growth in Democratic voters (per Kuff) in suburban areas, the growth in Hispanics statewide, etc., a 3-1 split reflects realities better, especially if Dems can regain the Texas House this fall, let alone the governor's office.
Specifically, creating a Hispanic-friendly district in the Metroplex, adjusting south/southwest Texas districts to possibly create a Hispanic-leaning district, and then doing the same in the Houston area, in exchange for letting the GOP gain an exurban district somewhere, is fine.
A sidebar to Dems insisting on a 3-1 split would be the GOP likely pushing to make Edwards' district even more Republican, though. But, this is all part of horse trading.
Just how conscious are we?
New Scientist appears to transcend its slide into the crapper of the past few years with a serious of vignettes on different aspects of consciousness.
First, unconscious reactions that we later label as products of conscious free will appear to occur seconds before a "conscious determination," not just Benjamin Libet's well-known 300 millisecond delay.
Second, it appears that consciousness is not "vs." unconsciousness, but that the two are on a spectrum.
In light of all of this, in addition to it becoming clearer that the human mind does not operate like a computer, it's clearer that we are a long ways away from creating a conscious machine, something that would pass a Turing test when viewed by a true skeptic.
First, unconscious reactions that we later label as products of conscious free will appear to occur seconds before a "conscious determination," not just Benjamin Libet's well-known 300 millisecond delay.
Second, it appears that consciousness is not "vs." unconsciousness, but that the two are on a spectrum.
In light of all of this, in addition to it becoming clearer that the human mind does not operate like a computer, it's clearer that we are a long ways away from creating a conscious machine, something that would pass a Turing test when viewed by a true skeptic.
Team Obama stoops to attack a depressive who's also a progressive
Former Obama deputy Steve Hildebrand is proving to be a definite thorn in the left-hand side of The One.
And, because he, as a former insider, dare criticize Obama for not being that progressive, here's how Obamiacs inside the administration circle the wagons:
Hildebrand goes on to offer a laundry list of his upsets with the Obama Administration and with Obama himself:
Is some of this sour grapes? Well, possibly. That said, as the story makes clear, the Obama team had no desire to keep him around after November 2008. Yes, at that times at least, contra his current claims to be "stabilized," it might have been tough to keep him full time. But, a consulting position, or a slot with Organizing for America, could have been worked out.
And, because he, as a former insider, dare criticize Obama for not being that progressive, here's how Obamiacs inside the administration circle the wagons:
Obama officials -- mindful that the Hildebrand Strategies Web site promotes the consultant's connection to the president -- see Hildebrand's new phase differently and dismiss his admonishments as the ravings of a sick man.Yes, you read that right. Because Hildebrand battles with depression, he's "sick" and "bad," a rough interpretation of depression.
"You get the good Steve and the bad Steve. When Steve is healthy, he's a world-class operative. And when he's not, things get pretty crazy," says a White House official, who would only speak about a former colleague anonymously. The official, who acknowledges that Hildebrand has never requested to join the White House, adds that given his behavior, "it's tough to see a role internally for Steve."
Hildebrand goes on to offer a laundry list of his upsets with the Obama Administration and with Obama himself:
"I'm disappointed that there's not a public option," he says, convinced it was an achievable goal if there had been "a serious push for it internally from Pelosi, Reid and the president."He's certainly right, IMO, on lack of leadership.
The president is not absolved from blame, in Hildebrand's view, on a host of legislation.
"I didn't see him as rising to the occasion," Hildebrand says. "I didn't see him as bold. I hadn't seen him persuading the American people to the extent that he could have. If he was that person, Congress would follow suit. Instead, Congress held him back. He was bogged down."
He is especially frustrated about the lack of progress on gay rights, and he thinks a nationwide recognition of gay marriage is decades away.
"You think the president is going to get this Congress to do it? They're not going to," he says, adding he was disappointed by the president's failure to defend gay marriage during a referendum in Maine. "His leadership and voice could have made a difference."
Is some of this sour grapes? Well, possibly. That said, as the story makes clear, the Obama team had no desire to keep him around after November 2008. Yes, at that times at least, contra his current claims to be "stabilized," it might have been tough to keep him full time. But, a consulting position, or a slot with Organizing for America, could have been worked out.
Does Google dust-up show fear in Chinese eyes?
Despite many Westerners' view of China as "Behemoth, Inc." on the economic front, Nick Kristof argues there's plenty of angst indeed in the eyeballs of Chinese leadership. He compares China of today with the "paper tigers" of Taiwan and South Korea in the 1980s.
He then wraps up with a kicker of a summary graf:
The Communist Party’s greatest success is the extraordinary economic changes it has ushered in over the last three decades with visionary policies and impressive governance. Its greatest failing is its refusal to adjust politically to accommodate the middle class that it created. And its greatest vulnerability is the way it increasingly neither inspires people nor terrifies them, but rather simply annoys them.
That said, lest anybody is unaware, Kristof notes that both Taiwan and South Korea went down the path of full democracy, and did so successfully.
So, it is Beijing's ultimate fear: the fear of losing power.
Of course, Democratic Party neoliberals will say this shows the power of "engagement." It actually does no such thing. As Kristof notes, Team Obama really doesn't want to go to the mat for Google on a possible WTO case or anything else. "Engagement" only means, "let's engage China in replacing U.S. blue-collar jobs."
He then wraps up with a kicker of a summary graf:
The Communist Party’s greatest success is the extraordinary economic changes it has ushered in over the last three decades with visionary policies and impressive governance. Its greatest failing is its refusal to adjust politically to accommodate the middle class that it created. And its greatest vulnerability is the way it increasingly neither inspires people nor terrifies them, but rather simply annoys them.
That said, lest anybody is unaware, Kristof notes that both Taiwan and South Korea went down the path of full democracy, and did so successfully.
So, it is Beijing's ultimate fear: the fear of losing power.
Of course, Democratic Party neoliberals will say this shows the power of "engagement." It actually does no such thing. As Kristof notes, Team Obama really doesn't want to go to the mat for Google on a possible WTO case or anything else. "Engagement" only means, "let's engage China in replacing U.S. blue-collar jobs."
Tiger Woods: The Natural
Robert Wright has a great column comparing Tiger Woods to "The Natural," Roy Hobbs.
That said, there were two of Roy Hobbs. That's because Bernard Malamud's book, unlike the later movie, doesn't have a happy ending for Hobbs. So, Wright is saying, in essence, Tiger is at a fork in the road, as to whether either Calvinist damnation or Buddhist karma will get him, on the one fork, or whether pious platitudinality plus continued selfishness, covered in an oleaginous sheen, will triumph over all.
Anyway, go read the full column to see how Wright plays this out.
As for me, I don't want to see Tiger just drive into some of Augusta's pines — I'd like to see him play Amen Corner about 2-over on Thursday, maybe even more on Friday, and miss the cut.
That said, there were two of Roy Hobbs. That's because Bernard Malamud's book, unlike the later movie, doesn't have a happy ending for Hobbs. So, Wright is saying, in essence, Tiger is at a fork in the road, as to whether either Calvinist damnation or Buddhist karma will get him, on the one fork, or whether pious platitudinality plus continued selfishness, covered in an oleaginous sheen, will triumph over all.
Anyway, go read the full column to see how Wright plays this out.
As for me, I don't want to see Tiger just drive into some of Augusta's pines — I'd like to see him play Amen Corner about 2-over on Thursday, maybe even more on Friday, and miss the cut.
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