2015-09-30
I reminded often of this in IT.
I really look forward to 12 PM on Wednesday - halfway through the stupidity and insanity.
2015-09-29
2015-09-28
2015-09-27
Peter And The Wolf - as performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and narrated by Leonard Bernstein.
Awesome - moments from my childhood restored online.
2015-09-26
Corporate stupidity combined.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kraft_Heinz_Company
I'm sure 3G thought, Let's make frankenfood together!
Fuck off - the sooner these two are abandoned, the better.
I'm sure 3G thought, Let's make frankenfood together!
Fuck off - the sooner these two are abandoned, the better.
2015-09-23
The World's most popular song freed. Corporate greed finally called out for what it really is - "implausible and unreasonable"
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/sep/23/us-judge-rules-happy-birthday-is-public-domain-throws-out-copyright-claim
You have to wonder how many people paid through the nose to Warner Chappell Music for its use.
Wonder if they could get their money back?
A federal court judge in Los Angeles has declared the song Happy Birthday to You belongs in the public domain, dealing a blow to the music publishing company that has been collecting royalties from the song for decades.
US district judge George H King ruled on Tuesday the copyright originally filed by the Clayton F Summy Co in 1935 applied to a specific arrangement of the song, not the tune itself.
King ruled that Summy never acquired the rights to the song’s lyrics, and the defendants’ claims to the contrary were “implausible and unreasonable”.
You have to wonder how many people paid through the nose to Warner Chappell Music for its use.
Wonder if they could get their money back?
2015-09-22
The slowness of life.
Seems like whenever I want something good to happen (be it by hope, hard work, smart work, some of the above, none of the above, some combination of the above, etc.), it inevitably takes its sweet time.
That's nice. The problem is, for me time if finite. Every second that passes, I don't get back. Every meal is the next one closer to death, and so on.
Am I turning grumpy in my greying years? No. I think it's just pure impatience.
That's nice. The problem is, for me time if finite. Every second that passes, I don't get back. Every meal is the next one closer to death, and so on.
Am I turning grumpy in my greying years? No. I think it's just pure impatience.
2015-09-17
You better believe it - the Cons(ervatives) will try hard to fix the 2015 Canadian Federal Election.
I said it before, I'll say it again.
Their whole goal is to run as nasty and as vile a campaign as possible. So horrid, that the opposing candidates get drawn in.
This results in some tuning out.
This results in others splitting votes.
This present opportunities for voting rights to be supressed.
But most of, it allows for the 'polls' and the corporate establishment media to deem the race 'too close to call', such that it can then be fixed for Harper and his gang.
Count on it - unless they starting losing popularity and drop significantly in the next few weeks, this is what will happen.
Their whole goal is to run as nasty and as vile a campaign as possible. So horrid, that the opposing candidates get drawn in.
This results in some tuning out.
This results in others splitting votes.
This present opportunities for voting rights to be supressed.
But most of, it allows for the 'polls' and the corporate establishment media to deem the race 'too close to call', such that it can then be fixed for Harper and his gang.
Count on it - unless they starting losing popularity and drop significantly in the next few weeks, this is what will happen.
What a horrible set of organization(s).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehi_%28group%29
"Late in 1940, Lehi, having identified a common interest between the intentions of the new German order and Jewish national aspirations, proposed forming an alliance in World War II with Nazi Germany.[2] It offered assistance in transferring the Jews of Europe to Palestine, in return for Germany's help in expelling Britain from Mandatory Palestine.[citation needed] Late in 1940, Lehi representative Naftali Lubenchik went to Beirut to meet German official Werner Otto von Hentig (who also was involved with the Haavara or Transfer Agreement, which had been transferring German Jews and their funds to Palestine since 1933).[citation needed] Lubenchik told von Hentig that Lehi had not yet revealed its full power and that they were capable of organizing a whole range of anti-British operations.[citation needed]"
And then on this day in 1948 -
Although Lehi had stopped operating nationally after May 1948, the
group continued to function in Jerusalem. On 17 September 1948, Lehi
assassinated UN mediator Count Folke Bernadotte. The assassination was directed by Yehoshua Zettler and carried out by a four-man team led by Meshulam Makover. The fatal shots were fired by Yehoshua Cohen. The Security Council described the assassination as a "cowardly act which appears to have been committed by a criminal group of terrorists".[70]
And yet ... evidently terrorism paid off for some of its members -
Hmm ... kind of like this set of groups ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Janata_Party
The BJP is a right-wing party,[4][8] with close ideological and organisational links to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Oh, and just who is the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" , you may ask?
Why -
"It was banned during the British rule,[17] and then thrice by the post-independence Indian government — first in 1948 when Nathuram Godse, a former RSS member,[23] assassinated Mahatma Gandhi;[17][24][25 ..."
But apparently terrorism pays off, as long who's gotten into power -why that BJP again!
"Long time Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi led it to a landslide victory in the 2014 general election. Since that election, Modi leads the NDA government as Prime Minister and as of March 2015, the alliance governs 13 states."
"Late in 1940, Lehi, having identified a common interest between the intentions of the new German order and Jewish national aspirations, proposed forming an alliance in World War II with Nazi Germany.[2] It offered assistance in transferring the Jews of Europe to Palestine, in return for Germany's help in expelling Britain from Mandatory Palestine.[citation needed] Late in 1940, Lehi representative Naftali Lubenchik went to Beirut to meet German official Werner Otto von Hentig (who also was involved with the Haavara or Transfer Agreement, which had been transferring German Jews and their funds to Palestine since 1933).[citation needed] Lubenchik told von Hentig that Lehi had not yet revealed its full power and that they were capable of organizing a whole range of anti-British operations.[citation needed]"
And then on this day in 1948 -
Assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte
Further information: Folke Bernadotte § Assassination
And yet ... evidently terrorism paid off for some of its members -
Prominent members of Lehi
Yitzhak Shamir, Israeli prime minister 1983–1984 and 1986–1992Hmm ... kind of like this set of groups ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Janata_Party
The BJP is a right-wing party,[4][8] with close ideological and organisational links to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Oh, and just who is the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" , you may ask?
Why -
"It was banned during the British rule,[17] and then thrice by the post-independence Indian government — first in 1948 when Nathuram Godse, a former RSS member,[23] assassinated Mahatma Gandhi;[17][24][25 ..."
But apparently terrorism pays off, as long who's gotten into power -why that BJP again!
"Long time Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi led it to a landslide victory in the 2014 general election. Since that election, Modi leads the NDA government as Prime Minister and as of March 2015, the alliance governs 13 states."
2015-09-15
Striking 'confidence in the level of education our kids are receiving'
Paraphrasing a quote from Mrs. CV.
Regarding what, you may ask?
Why, the subject of an email from our kids' school. Check out the title -
Regarding what, you may ask?
Why, the subject of an email from our kids' school. Check out the title -
'Curriculum Night Remdinder 9/15/15'
2015-09-14
The right composer and the right conductor
Every live performance of this always goes too fast.
But not here -
2015-09-13
Disturbing to say the least.
Two people born in the same year, die on the same day -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_13
- 2015 – Moses Malone, American basketball player (b. 1955)
- 2015 – Betty Lago, Brazilian actress and model. (b. 1955)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_13
2015-09-11
Close enough to be fixed?
If the 2000 and 2004 US Presidential Elections are any indication, then yes.
http://www.threehundredeight.com/2015/09/2015-federal-election-link-round-up.html
Week 6: NDP 32.4% LPC 30.9% CPC 28.1% GPC 4.6% BQ 3.4%
Week 5: NDP 32.4% LPC 29.9% CPC 27.2% GPC 5.1% BQ 4.1%
Week 4: NDP 33.9% CPC 28.4% LPC 27.9% GPC 5.0% BQ 3.8%
Week 3: NDP 32.7% CPC 29.4% LPC 28.0% GPC 5.1% BQ 3.9%
Week 2: NDP 31.8% CPC 29.8% LPC 27.5% GPC 5.4% BQ 4.6%
Week 1: NDP 34.7% CPC 29.6% LPC 26.8% BQ 4.6% GPC 4.0%
Yeah, looks close enough for the right-wing to fix to me.
http://www.threehundredeight.com/2015/09/2015-federal-election-link-round-up.html
Week 6: NDP 32.4% LPC 30.9% CPC 28.1% GPC 4.6% BQ 3.4%
Week 5: NDP 32.4% LPC 29.9% CPC 27.2% GPC 5.1% BQ 4.1%
Week 4: NDP 33.9% CPC 28.4% LPC 27.9% GPC 5.0% BQ 3.8%
Week 3: NDP 32.7% CPC 29.4% LPC 28.0% GPC 5.1% BQ 3.9%
Week 2: NDP 31.8% CPC 29.8% LPC 27.5% GPC 5.4% BQ 4.6%
Week 1: NDP 34.7% CPC 29.6% LPC 26.8% BQ 4.6% GPC 4.0%
Yeah, looks close enough for the right-wing to fix to me.
2015-09-10
How do I know that the 'War on Drugs' was a complete fraud; perpetrated on the American public?
Three letters: C, I, and A.
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/09/10/cia-and-the-drug-business/
A very small snippet from a very lengthy and informative article -
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/09/10/cia-and-the-drug-business/
A very small snippet from a very lengthy and informative article -
Federal drug law enforcement’s relationship with the espionage establishment matured with the creation of CIA’s predecessor organization, the Office of Strategic Services. Prior to the Second World War, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was the government agency most adept at conducting covert operations at home and abroad. As a result, OSS chief William Donovan asked Anslinger to provide seasoned FBN agents to help organize the OSS and train its agents to work undercover, avoid security forces in hostile nations, manage agent networks, and engage in sabotage and subversion.
The relationship expanded during the war, when FBN executives and agents worked with OSS scientists in domestic “truth drug” experiments involving marijuana. The “extralegal” nature of the relationship continued after the war: when the CIA decided to test LSD on unsuspecting American citizens, FBN agents were chosen to operate the safehouses where the experiments were conducted.
2015-09-09
Mike the Headless Chicken?
Not a hoax?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken
Wow -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken
Beheading
On September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, United States, was planning to eat supper with his mother-in-law and was sent out to the yard by his wife to bring back a chicken. Olsen chose a five-and-a-half-month-old cockerel named Mike. The axe missed the jugular vein, leaving one ear and most of the brain stem intact.[2][3]Wow -
Post mortem
It was determined that the axe had missed the jugular vein[5] and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was severed, most of his brain stem and one ear were left on his body. Since basic functions (breathing, heart rate, etc.) as well as most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem, Mike was able to remain quite healthy. This is a good example of central motor generators enabling basic homeostatic functions to be carried out in the absence of the cerebral cortex.[5]2015-09-06
'good guys' and race.
A family member was gallivanting on about this 'good guy' thing.
In nutshell, it goes something like this -
"And the guy told him about this technique where you say, can I get a good guy discount on that? You're a good guy. I'm a good guy. Come on, just a good guy discount." (source here).
Now while the concept of good or bad is really often subjective, I've never been one to query about a discount for a number of reasons. Chief among them is that as a non-white person, you learn early on in life to simply get your business done and get moving.
In thinking about this, I asked the family member if the person who subsequently conducted the underlying experiment behind this was a white guy (it turns out he is, but at the time if asking, I wasn't aware).
Anyways, this family member went on to say -
(paraphrasing) -- that it'd work for black people to because they'd seen some in stores where where they'd simply and just to the fist thing, --
- to which another family member stated
(paraphrasing) -- yeah Asians do the same thing; in fact you know 80% of them do it, and if it's that much you know it ain't a stereotype. --
Couple of things came to mind at this point =
I'm not white, and never when I've been in any business I've done business with, have I ever singled out the non-white person to ask for a discount. To expand, I've never really done that with pretty much anyone at any business (as I stated above). But someone I seriously doubt it'd work for me because as I suspected, a big part of this being successful depends greatly in being the same color as the person whom you're asking a discount from. And further, if Ben Calhoun was successful, I suspect a big part of it is he's white, and living in same society as me; one which is still predominantly run by white people.
Anyways - they both said this right in front of my kids, both of whom are of a mixed-race background. I couldn't help but think the racial assumptions they were making were somewhat redneckish at best, and downright bigoted at worst. I didn't really bother continuing pursuing it (too many white people around).
What do you think?
In nutshell, it goes something like this -
"And the guy told him about this technique where you say, can I get a good guy discount on that? You're a good guy. I'm a good guy. Come on, just a good guy discount." (source here).
Now while the concept of good or bad is really often subjective, I've never been one to query about a discount for a number of reasons. Chief among them is that as a non-white person, you learn early on in life to simply get your business done and get moving.
In thinking about this, I asked the family member if the person who subsequently conducted the underlying experiment behind this was a white guy (it turns out he is, but at the time if asking, I wasn't aware).
Anyways, this family member went on to say -
(paraphrasing) -- that it'd work for black people to because they'd seen some in stores where where they'd simply and just to the fist thing, --
- to which another family member stated
(paraphrasing) -- yeah Asians do the same thing; in fact you know 80% of them do it, and if it's that much you know it ain't a stereotype. --
Couple of things came to mind at this point =
I'm not white, and never when I've been in any business I've done business with, have I ever singled out the non-white person to ask for a discount. To expand, I've never really done that with pretty much anyone at any business (as I stated above). But someone I seriously doubt it'd work for me because as I suspected, a big part of this being successful depends greatly in being the same color as the person whom you're asking a discount from. And further, if Ben Calhoun was successful, I suspect a big part of it is he's white, and living in same society as me; one which is still predominantly run by white people.
Anyways - they both said this right in front of my kids, both of whom are of a mixed-race background. I couldn't help but think the racial assumptions they were making were somewhat redneckish at best, and downright bigoted at worst. I didn't really bother continuing pursuing it (too many white people around).
What do you think?
AND ... Frankenfood go the fuck away.
That is from Greece and Lativia -
http://www.alternet.org/environment/monsantos-gmo-crops-banned-two-more-european-nations
http://www.alternet.org/environment/monsantos-gmo-crops-banned-two-more-european-nations
Lativia and Greece have chosen the “opt-out” clause of a European Union rule passed in March that allows member countries to abstain from growing GM crops, even if they are authorized by the EU. Scotland and Germany also made headlines in recent weeks for seeking a similar ban on GMOs.
Charter Schools go the fuck away.
So says the Washington State Supreme Court -
http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/897140.pdf
http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/897140.pdf
Asexplainedbelow,bydivertingcommonschoolfundstocharterschools,theActcontravenesarticleIX,section2ofthe WashingtonConstitution.Id.at501,507.U
Welfare source=Low Wages.
Not what the right-wing or corporations would have the public believe.
http://fair.org/home/ignoring-the-cause-of-welfare-not-laziness-but-low-wages/
http://fair.org/home/ignoring-the-cause-of-welfare-not-laziness-but-low-wages/
US corporate media rarely mention that the inflation-adjusted wages of the bottom 70 percent of American workers either remained stagnant or decreased from 2003 to 2013. Academic research shows it is low wages, not laziness, that cost US taxpayers $152.8 billion each year in public support for working families.
Workers are paid mere pennies by enormous corporations who make millions in profits, but the media often frame the issue as a problem of welfare, not one of exploitation.
If the goal is to get people off of welfare, raising wages, and strengthening and enforcing labor laws so workers exploited by corporations can actually make a living, are the most effective ways to do so. Until then, welfare effectively serves as a subsidy for corporations, allowing them to pay low, unlivable wages with confidence that government will make up for the rest.
2015-09-05
Gee - if I ever visit Europe, I'll defninitely skip Hungary.
I mean honestly.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/austria-germany-open-borders/article7620286.ece?css=print
"On Saturday, Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted refugees, bussed to the Hungarian border by a right-wing government that had tried to stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers reaching Europe’s frontiers. "
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/austria-germany-open-borders/article7620286.ece?css=print
"On Saturday, Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted refugees, bussed to the Hungarian border by a right-wing government that had tried to stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers reaching Europe’s frontiers. "
2015-09-02
A chance for sanity?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/03/us-iran-nuclear-congress-idUSKCN0R21L620150903
"U.S. President Barack Obama scored a major foreign policy victory on Wednesday by securing enough Senate votes to protect the Iran nuclear deal in Congress, but Republicans pledged to keep up their fight against the pact with new sanctions on Tehran."
"U.S. President Barack Obama scored a major foreign policy victory on Wednesday by securing enough Senate votes to protect the Iran nuclear deal in Congress, but Republicans pledged to keep up their fight against the pact with new sanctions on Tehran."
Politics
|
Obama scores policy win in securing votes for Iran nuclear deal
WASHINGTON
|
2015-09-01
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