Remedial

Entertainment Industry Buys British Legislators

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:04:10 -0600

If the prospect of a Microsoft/News Corp mash-up didn’t disturb you ( http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/22/murdoch-microsoft-de.html), check this out…

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/20/britains-new-interne.html

Rumorsville, but still funny: Microsoft and News Corp.

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:27:30 -0600

Rumor has it that News Corp wants to take Wall Street Journal links off Google’s search engine and place them exclusively on Microsoft’s search engine. There are lots of reasons why this is dumb, check them in the link below. Here’s my initial thought: Microsoft and News Corp (by way of Fox News) probably make top 10 for most despised/disliked companies in America. I think News Corp may not much care, but I find it remarkable that Microsoft would take their name farther into the mud by teaming up with the dicky News Corp universe. Maybe they should ink a deal with Goldman Sachs too.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091122/2105397042.shtml

Can we get rid of "Politically Correct"?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:27:24 -0600

What does that phrase mean and where did it come from? And how does “political correctness” stop someone from going on a killing spree? There’s this notion (link below) that if not for people being “PC”, the Fort Hood shooter wouldn’t have had a chance to go nuts. If someone had hard evidence that this cat was going to snap or rolled with terrorists, I don’t think “Political Correctness” would have prevented them from presenting said evidence. “I think that camel jockey is a terrorist!” doesn’t do much help. “I think that camel jockey is a terrorist, and here’s a plan he created of his plot to shoot up Fort Hood!” … actually sort of useful - politically correct or not.

But, beyond even that, the point behind “PC” (for me) isn’t a prescribed list of things you can’t do or say - the point is to not be a dick. I suspect it’s called “Politically Correct” because politicians can’t say the same shit normal people can and win elections. I’m not sure how this notion became a force in everyday culture for people who aren’t politicians. These days, it seems like nothing more than a really easy way to muddy the waters in a dispute where one party is obviously being a dick.

Ohhhh… I forgot… you can’t say things like “fag” or “RTard” or “Alabama Porch Monkey” because it’s not “politically correct”. Well let’s get beyond this “political correctness” that’s killing our country and really talk to each other.

No… you shouldn’t say things like that because it’s inappropriate and kind of dicky. You can if you want to - it’s your choice. And then I will think you’re kind of dicky - that’s my choice, and it doesn’t matter if your dicky action is on some official “List of things that are not politically correct”. As long as a person is okay with that, they can do whatever they want.

Check the link below from Fox ~~News~~ Commentary (which is, by the way, a organization full of dicky, dicky people).
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/20/fox-news-poll-mixed-views-calling-ft-hood-shooting-act-terrorism/

TNC drops a little race science

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:38:05 -0600

Interesting post from TNC on race. Choice quote: “I’m reporting out a story now in which I had to talk with older black folks who’d grown up in an industrial city in the 40s and 50s. One of the things that comes through from them is that being smart and black, during that time, was really scary.”

This is an important thing to keep in mind: in the 50s, being black and smart was a reason to fear for your safety. If you wanted to reduce the chances of physical harm, and if you were black, it was important to not be smart. Some of the people who are in legislative positions in our government, who would insist that the playing field is level and we’re doing enough and minority (black, et al.) communities don’t need anymore help, were alive when black people had to weigh the pros of an education against the chances of physical harm or death because of being too intelligent. And then those black people raised children - the same children who, necessarily, were steeped in the same intelligence = danger mentality and now are getting no re-socialization help from the society and government that fucked them up in the first place. You can still see, to this day, in certain elements of black culture how it’s okay to be cool and rich and charming and powerful and fantastic in bed… and *street smart*… but not so much book smart.

What people need aren’t just opportunities. The communities need to have something more basic and instinctual in them shifted, such that they understand it’s okay to be street smart and book smart (both are important), understand how to do it, can have some models for that sort of success with which they can identify. I think a huge part of a kid doing something as simple as going to college is being able to have a relative that went to college. Just being able to see how it’s done and how it can fit into his/her life. Having a model for success that’s close to home. When people have no relevant models for success, how can we expect them to be successful?

http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/11/community_1.php

Pharm Fail

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:42:10 -0600

I just watched a commercial produced by a drug company warning that “Condoms may not fully protect against HPV”. This drug company also sells HPV vaccine. Wow.

re: Not paying attention

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:56:33 -0600

A post from Between the Columns. It’s rare that someone writes something political that actually makes me think while reading it. They only post once in a while, but it’s definitely worth adding to your RSS feed.

Incomplete thoughts on Fox News

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:49:48 -0600

The first memory I have of Glenn Beck is video of him crying on camera because he loved America so much and people were trying to destroy it (whatever that means). It never crossed my mind that this dude could actually become some sort of viable force of political power, which, of course, he and the stooges of Fox News (and MSNBC and CNN, to a lesser degree) have become. As much fun as it is, and as easy as it is, to hate on Fox News, the real problem isn’t that Fox News exists. And it’s not Fox News’ fault that it’s so popular. Fox News only has as much juice as the people watching Fox News give it. Even if someone bought Fox News from News Corp and shut it down, it doesn’t change the fact that there are millions of Americans who love Fox News. Fox News (et al.) is symptomatic of a larger issue and attacking the symptom doesn’t cure the illness.

Today in Racism: Paleskins prevail in Redskins dispute

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:58:03 -0600

Anyone who watches football with me knows I say this very often: it’s a disgrace that there’s a professional sports franchise in our nation’s capital named “Redskins”.

The Supreme Court just refused to take on a lawsuit to have the name changed, which may have been the right thing for the Supreme Court to do, technically. However, it’s a shame that this is even an issue.
Favorite quote of the article: “The federal district judge who heard the lawsuit also said the activists had not proven that the name was disparaging. ” What? We all have skin… theirs is red. What’s the big deal?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111601298.html

"a generation that prioritised their own fun over the privacy of their friends."

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:32:31 -0600

“a generation that prioritised their own fun over the privacy of their friends.”

- Really interesting article: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/07/nsfw-after-fort-hood-another-example-of-how-citizen-journalists-cant-handle-the-truth/
Touches on some points that have been floating around in my head, recently. In the last couple of months I’ve encountered an incident or two where people I know have tried to extract certain information about my life from me for no other reason than their own jollies. Not to try to understand me or connect with me or help me… exclusively for their own entertainment. I wonder if our acclimation to having as much information about everything as quickly as we want it isn’t turning folks into insensitive voyeur-gluttons with little understanding for the fact that just because we take in information as a data-stream doesn’t mean that information is nothing more than 1s and 0s being bounced about.

Victory for the Terrorists: The Wall Street Journal

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:17:32 -0600

Is it just me, or has the WSJ been displaying much more naked partisanship since being purchased by News Corp? (Note: News Corp also owns Fox News.)

Today in racism: Hate mail

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:46:21 -0600

Muslim American organizations hurried Friday to condemn the shootings at Fort Hood, saying they have already begun receiving some hate mail and emphasizing that there are thousands of Muslims serving in the armed forces.

The article is short and has a few good moments.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110601752.html?hpid=topnews

Moar apps?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:38:50 -0600

Verizon is finally getting a Google Phone, as I call it, and I’m pretty excited by that.

Reviewers have been reviewing and one thing that seems to come up is that the iPhone’s app store has So Many Apps!!! and the app store available for Verizon’s new phone doesn’t have that many apps.

Considering that so many of the apps available for the iPhone are programs that make fart noises and other nonsense, I’m surprised to see people quoting the raw number of apps like it’s a big deal. Who cares if there are a lot of apps, if they aren’t useful?

Surviving a zombiepocalypse: Flashlight

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:54:36 -0600

I was trying to watch 28 Days Later last night and I couldn’t: I’d played too many zombie/monster survival video games for it to be believable. Dude goes into a dark church armed with a bag of fucking Pepsi? Come on.

I haven’t thought through the particulars, yet, but I know there’s one thing I would acquire as soon as possible in the event of a zombiepocalypse: a flashlight. What type of flashlight is another question all together. Part of me thinks one of those wind-up flashlights would be good so there’s no need for batteries. Then again, a giant Maglite would be super sexy, especially considering it could double as a weapon. Granted, you don’t want a zombie (et al.) close enough to you that a Maglite would be necessary… but shit happens during zombiepocalypse, right? Right.

Once you have acquired said flashlight of your choosing, never go anywhere dark ever. Ever.

Voters hold VA Gov. accountable because they're mad at the Prez because of Congress' incompetence/naked greed

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:31 -0500

Well… here’s the link - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/30/virginia-governor-election-barack-obama

It’s tragic that we have conflated the different levels and branches of politics and government to the point that we actually think it’s reasonable to elect a State Executive Branch official based on frustration with the National Executive Branch’s performance on things that are decidedly the job of the National Legislative Branch. News agencies report on it; we take it in like it makes perfect sense.

Choice quote of this article about the Virginia’s guber-election:“[The Prez’s] healthcare plan is a disaster. He doesn’t know how to deal with the rest of the world.” And that’s why this woman is going to vote for “The Other Guy” to run the Executive Branch of Virginia. For the record: Congress writes legislation, not the Prez (nor the Gov of any state); the rest of the world loves the Prez.

A note against hate crime legislation

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:26:31 -0500

A link for you:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h6sgiIL7BtQ0ut1GYxjlHGHvHV5gD9BKAF801

I've known of people who got their asses beat because they were thought to
be gay. I've lived in a place where I was warned by multiple white friends
that I should never, under any circumstances, go to a certain town in the
eastern part of the county; sure enough, lost on the back roads one day, I
saw a sign letting me know I was entering said town and immediately pulled a
u-turn in the middle of the two-lane highway.

Being attacked just because you're gay or black or bi or Latino sucks. But
being attacked sucks regardless. I don't like the idea of
institutionalizing that certain lives are worth more than others. Or that
certain reasons for violence are more palatable than others. If I kick
someone's teeth in because they're Latino, I'm in big fucking trouble. If I
kick in someone's teeth just because... well, that's not so bad.

Last week in racism.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:01:11 -0500

Last week in racism.:

In some ways I prefer overt racism to lingering-beneath-the-surface racism. It’s kind of like having a disease that shows symptoms and a disease that doesn’t: if they’re both harmful, you probably want to know it’s there. Then again, a friend of mine once noted that there’s something nice about not being called nigger to your face, which is hard to argue against.

Victories for America and The Terrorists

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:08:01 -0500

Victory for America: the Milken Family Foundation. They’ve given out over $60M in the last 22 years to support teachers across the nation.

Victory for The Terrorists: The fact that we need a private organization to recognize and reward what’s probably the most important occupation in society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milken_Family_Foundation
http://www.startribune.com/local/64960762.html?page=1&c=y

I’m starting a list. I’m going to call it “Top ways to waste your energy if...

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:57:31 -0500

I’m starting a list. I’m going to call it “Top ways to waste your energy if you’re interested in making a difference.” I can only assume protest concerts and updating your Facebook status are going to make top five. P.S. We’re all doomed.

Instant Media P.S.

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:56:05 -0500

For the record, I am officially opinion neutral on The Prez winning the Nobel Peace Prize. What’s notable isn’t whether Fox is right or wrong to attack but that there’s no doubt they will, in fact, attack, regardless of rightness or wrongness. (In a way, this actually hurts Fox’s goal of flipping people (if that is their goal and not ratings) because the focus shifts toward the spectacle of the attack and away from the merits of their arguments.)

Instant Media

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:31:39 -0500

Looks like America is waking up to the news that The Prez just won the Nobel Peace Prize. In an amazing usage of technology, I’ve been able to witness people around the internet immediately begin to wonder just how Fox News is going to attack. There’s something tragically beautiful about the populace being able to hear raw news and anticipate how a news agency is going to shade that news before the news agency is actually able to push said shaded news to the public. That’s consistency I can applaud. Pretty soon, people will be able to start a parody website where they anticipate Fox’s reaction to news and post items before Fox gets a chance to go live with it. Faster Fox News: Giving you Fox’s opinion faster than they can.