Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[AlabamAlum]

Just read a peer-reviewed article on PubMed: "Nebraska: the Gayest State"

[hack]

Getting more granular: https://www.roadsnacks.net/gayest-places-in-nebraska/. Wiz's house ranked #3 but also #7-#9.

I didn't click on the photos, but you can if you want to.

[iam416]

Surprisingly quality stuff. Enjoyed the five moves from Murray Head to Gay Wizard. Creative, yet clean line of play. Too bad you're sassing the functionally illiterate.

[AlabamAlum]

Getting more granular: https://www.roadsnacks.net/gayest-places-in-nebraska/. Wiz's house ranked #3 but also #7-#9.

I didn't click on the photos, but you can if you want to.

lmao

Wiz once played me in chess. He kept wanting to take my shirt off and oil me up first, though. Strange. He said it was all the rage at Nebraska chess clubs. He then did jazz hands after he poured me a Zima and put on a Bette Midler 8-track.

[AlabamAlum]

Surprisingly quality stuff. Enjoyed the five moves from Murray Head to Gay Wizard. Creative, yet clean line of play. Too bad you're sassing the functionally illiterate.

Wiz is functional?

[iam416]

Only relative to Team Husker.

[hack]

It could be, but surely he does not have a function.

[Wild Hoss]

The gayletrical current is off the charts in this place tonight.

[AlabamAlum]

Hey, I'm going to bed. No rough housing. There'e a casserole in the fridge. Lock up and turn the lights off before you go to bed.

[iam416]

David French offers his thoughts on why Milo had so many ardent followers. http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...ight-wing-rage

French is a #nevertrumper and has been abused on twitter to no end. To the extent you can abuse someone on twitter. Whether you agree with his premise or not, I find the type of reactions an interesting way to view things regardless of philosophy: work with your opponents; establish parallel institutions to compete against your opponents; rage against your opponents.

I like this closing point (I cropped out the final sentence to make it broader):

There’s biblical wisdom that applies. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Be angry, but do not sin.” There is nothing wrong with anger at injustice. There is nothing wrong with fighting intolerance and ignorance.

Anyway, whether you agree with him or not on the premise, I think (a) it's an interesting way to view responses from either side that feels on the opposite side of things; and (b) it very much represents the feelings of the "Middle Middle".

If you're interested, Sunstein's article on Group Polarization is here: http://m.law.uchicago.edu/files/file...larization.pdf

It's almost 20 years old, but woof...spot on -- today it reads as obvious. But I found it interesting because I had almost forgot that group deliberation ought to lead to a moderate/middle group consensus. Whereas today, because we have significant "self-gerrymandering" resulting in more polarized groups -- group deliberation actually leads to a more extreme group consensus.

[iam416]

Also, I found this from the NYT interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/o...bama.html?_r=0

I wasn't aware of Obama's efforts to combat leaks and go after journalists. I mean, at all. I mean, I'm sure such outrages were adequately covered on panel after panel after panel on news program and then in articles in print media. Must have missed them.

[iam416]

In a bit of what I consider good news, bi-partisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to incentivize investment in poor areas ("opportunity zones") by allowing investors to delay paying capital gains taxes on such investments. In the Senate, the bill is co-sponsored by Tim Scott and Corey Booker. Scott, in particular, is part of a group of R senators focuses on "Opportunity" and such ("Senate Opportunity Coaltion" -- lol). This legislation is Scott's baby -- other ideas from the group will be less bipartisan.

I say it's good news because I'm in favor of stuff like this in general, but moreso because huzzah -- bipartisanship!

[hack]

I've seen some of those very sportswriters politely asked on twitter to stick to sports and leave politics out of it, and that's what should happen. Reporters indeed need to behave on twitter in that way, or have a separate account for personal views.

The whole ``left is picking on us'' thing is really something though. Very effective to the leaders of the movement to keep that revolutionary fervor alive, but there's not really anywhere you can go that's to the right of the US on the political spectrum. If ``elite institutions'' are stocked with liberals, you'd think it wouldn't be that way.

[hack]

Also, I found this from the NYT interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/o...bama.html?_r=0

I wasn't aware of Obama's efforts to combat leaks and go after journalists. I mean, at all. I mean, I'm sure such outrages were adequately covered on panel after panel after panel on news program and then in articles in print media. Must have missed them.

Nobody's given two shits about how journalists are treated, ever, until now. No doubt about it. I think that's because until now reporters haven't been called the enemy of the state, been physically threatened at campaign rallies, called liars or ``fake news'' purveyors when they are obviously not, had their disabilities mocked on stage, or lied to in such an obvious or transparent way. It's hard to ever imagine the profession being viewed sympathetically, but if anyone could manage that it's Trump.

I thought the NBC reporter just nailed it with the electoral-college question at the press conference. He just recited facts, and before he was even done Trump had disowned the claim and was talking in circles. That's what reporters need to do -- go back to pure reporting. Enough news analysis and enough interpretation. Just say what happened.

[iam416]

but there's not really anywhere you can go that's to the right of the US on the political spectrum.

Well, depends on the issue, correct? The US remains very much capitalistic at heart with pragmatic restraints. That is largely to the right of most countries (much to the good, IMO). The US, however, is middle-left on numerous social issues including shit near everything to do with gay folks and gender stuff. The US is also uniquely multiculutural and has gads of laws enforcing equality. The US also have the Bill of Right securing and enshrining numerous freedoms that are not even legislatively guaranteed in numerous countries. The US also doesn't enforce national Voter ID requirements, which is to the left of numerous countries.

I mean -- c'mon.