Link round-up for 24 September 2017
Cats are weird.
Get drawn into the dog vortex.
And it has the virtue of being true.
It's sign language, are you dumb?
Don't put a dong where it doesn't belong (found via Mendip).
The Romans knew there are no limits to art.
Make love, not war (NSFW).
Menus should be translated carefully.
Some words just don't make sense (but that's OK).
Enjoy these Scandinavian skies.
It's the good timeline.
Learn the eleven steps to becoming a wingnut.
Free Melania?
This salad is not properly vegetarian.
Get your woman shirt from the original source (but the Arabic isn't quite right -- it's plural whereas the others are singular).
Yes, AA really is a religious organization, full of irrational and self-defeating dogmas.
I'm still glad I didn't go into academia -- too many menacing crazies.
Here's a ton of advice for how to live a life of guilt and misery.
It's been a while, but people still offer prayers.
Christianists promise to "reveal the secret to ending abortion and gay marriage in America", but deliver only a laborious metaphor about coal.
The wingnuts are being as crazy as ever.
"Purity culture" is really messed up.
There's a historical reason why some ethnic languages are disappearing (this is not unique to the US, though).
Neo-Nazi women face acceptance problems.
These people exist (scroll down a bit).
Lesbian? Jew? We don't want your help.
The decline of religion in the US is most dramatic among the young.
Libertarian goofballs are doing the start-your-own-country thing again. Here's an example of how well they manage things.
A discussion -- was DACA unconstitutional?
Here's an example of how honest Breitbart is.
Read why Pi Pizzeria in St. Louis is suffering harassment.
Bannon and his ilk are cafeteria Catholics.
Yes, the FRC is a hate group.
A lot of people still want to hear what Hillary has to say.
Enforced stagnation of belief is death to the mind.
Trump's policies are creating a brain drain.
Milo Yiannopoulos's Berkeley free speech event looks like just another money scam.
Nutballs go apeshit at the thought that the Catholic Church might relax its taboo on contraception.
Personalized kinks are saving an industry.
US credit practices put personal data at risk.
Just the increase in military spending the Senate just approved would be enough to make college free throughout the US.
Republicans don't want us to be like other countries (found via Hackwhackers). Graham-Cassidy is the worst ACA repeal plan yet, and they still hope to pass it even without McCain. If they succeed, will you die too? One Republican starts to get it.
The achievements of Cassini remind us what technology can do.
The ruins of a Roman town offer a small glimpse into our ancestral civilization.
The Vancouver Pride Parade is run by ignorant cowards.
In the UK, 71% of young adults have cast off religion.
The Spanish government is using harsh methods to suppress Catalonia's independence referendum. A Catalonian speaks out.
Anti-fascists in Greece train to fight.
This is Mexico, the reality.
Brazil has decriminalized gay "conversion therapy".
Iraqi Kurds will vote on independence from Iraq tomorrow. The European Union, still allergic to referenda on national independence after Brexit, snivels about "unilateralism".
The situation in the Philippines sounds bad.
Why would Facebook censor reports of the Rohingya ethnic cleansing?
Trump wants a Soviet-style military parade on Independence Day. I love this accompanying depiction of the parade. Trump doesn't suffer from headaches, but he's a carrier.
Manafort is the first domino to topple in Russiagate (found via Mendip).
The Electoral College makes our elections vulnerable to foreign subversion. And certain news sites actively collaborate. While red states seek to limit voting, Oregon leads the charge in the opposite direction.
Violent protests will be a potent issue for Republicans in 2018, as long as Democrats are perceived as defending them.
In Trump's America, Jews live in heightened fear of attack.
Roy Moore cements the Republicans' status as the theocratic, anti-science party.
posted by Infidel753 at 12:04 AM
7 Comments:
I hope you will not mind my mentioning a pet complaint I have about an idea from a link here today, this time quoting Eva Longoria, but commonly heard:
"My family has owned land since the 1600's in Texas when it was Mexico, so we never crossed the border, the border crossed us."
I would have commented at the original site, but they did not take comments. What I would like to point out is that the country of Mexico was created in 1824. Texas became independent in 1836, only twelve years later. In a history that goes back to prehistoric times, that is not a hell of a lot. Here in California, we were under Mexican rule until 1848, or about 24 years.
And it is very important to remember that Mexico was created in 1824 by European colonial imperialists, out of a variety of societies that had no more to do with each other than Norwegians and Italians. The control of this territory by a European empire for such a short period of time is hardly the sort of thing that should inspire anyone to assert a permanent right over the land. You can argue about what the current state of Texas should be, but making your claims based on this is pretty thin.
Jimmy Swaggart is on a commercial on MSNBC right now. Shit, I was hoping he would be one of the first to go.
That video could be titled "Some of the reasons I will never have a cat."
The other video could be titled "OMG! I love dogs so much!!!!"
I don't know whether to laugh at a guy who tried to lift a 5+ pound weight with his weewee or to admire his can-do spirit.
Is Ivanka Trump working at Forever 21 now?
I've gone to AA meetings (I was with a friend, I'm not an alcoholic). That as many years ago, and other than the Lord's Prayer at the end of the meeting, it didn't have a religious feel to it. I'm of two minds. It seems to help people, but it's by replacing one addiction with another. I think people become addicted to the 12 steps (many of which sound pretty religousy) and/or to going to meetings. It's building a house of cards in people's minds, and if/when the cards collapse, they go back to their bad behaviors until they are able to build the mental house of cards again. If you ask me what the answer is, I can't tell you. Building a sense of self and fighting the demons of childhood or some trauma of adulthood would probably be helpful, but that takes time (sometimes a lifetime), and addicts are often at a point where they need an immediate remedy in order to survive. Of course, the other side of the argument is, if religion works, why are there plenty of addicts in churches? Like I said, I have no idea what the answer is.
They didn't show the tag to Venus from John Ashcroft telling her to cover up.
If i ever go to St. Louis, my first stop will be dinner at Pi Pizza.
I watched Hillary speak to Rachel Maddow, Stephen Colbert and Joy Reid. I cried over what might have been. The stark contrast between the orange buffoon and that articulate, intelligent and funny woman was beyond measure. I hope she keeps talking, and fuck those (especially on the left) who want her to keep quiet. There are people (like my sister) who is tuned out to politics, but when Hillary is on, she tunes in. Other than me gabbing in her ear, that might be the only time she listens to someone talking about policies and politics. I am sure there are a lot of people like my sister, so keep talking Hillary!!
Do you think Free Speech Week was organized by Ja Rule?
There was an old joke that said that a liberal is just a conservative who hasn't been mugged yet. I think conservatives are just liberals who haven't been hit with huge doctor bills yet.
I been going through some of these yesterday and this morning, quite a list, so I come in and out at times getting interrupted ... so figured on leaving a few comments.
First of all, the heading about "still here" made me laugh ... heh, heh, heh, heh, heh ... had to pinch myself to make sure I was still here {:-) When my wife woke yesterday, I told her ... "Rosie ... today is the start of the end of the world" she moaned and said ... "I dont want to hear silly stuff" (guess she wasnt in the mood) {:-)
Cats and dog vortex ... cool stuff
But I have to say that my favourite was probably the Scandinavian skies ... those were just some kick ass photos ... even the others they had linked to were awesome! Scandinavia is somewhere that would be at top of my list on places I'd like to visit, so much I admire about that part of the world, too long to list here.
Texas church blocking Jewish lesbian from helping ... I just dont get these folks at all ... what in Hell is their problem? You would figure buy now, that these folks would get burned out on worrying about peoples sexual orientation ... I mean ... WTF? Got to be some kind of mental issue or something. And NO ... being a person that believes in a God concept doesnt mean you have to hate fags to do so ... it's nonsense.
And YES ... many folks dont know that the AA is a Christian type deal, been for years actually ... I know this from people that attended, even drug clean up groups and others. Family Research and others, it's plain to see when you read into their shit, period. Many people in this country dont even know how strong the KKK was in our Congress at a time earlier in the 20th century, they are also Christian identity folks. Sometimes folks think I may be focused on tearing down Christians, but I am only stating the history of it, and many who identify with it ... I'm not against a persons personal beliefs at all. These are groups that clearly have a record of severe persecution of others ... very much anti- democracy, anti- Constitution and anti- American in my view.
First Libertarian country (?) ... I'm all for folks that want to create their own environment like that ... but leave our government, etc alone, in other words ... if you want to run off and start a country ... go for it. I sometimes wish the so called candy ass elite that we kiss the asses of, would find their own island and live happily ever after, etc ... and have less power in the peoples government, they control too much and have no real reason too ... accept having a bunch of folks that follow them. I was eading in some news recently that a Texas town tried to go libertarian, and really got in to a huge budget and services mess, it failed big time.
I know some libertarians out side Dallas on a personal level ... they dont actually belong to groups or preach libertarianism as a brand ... but I know from what they read, their lifestyles, philosophy etc, etc ... that they are. All those I know are very self reliant types. Steve, late 30's, runs a mechanical contracting company outside Dallas, has a ranch east of Dallas (was there saturday), about to go all solar and wind power, just to save money on utilities, since he has a fairly big home), he was successful as well locally in music as a guitarist (heavy metal), home studio, session guitarist, home gun range, etc. Turner, guitarist and vocalist of Pumping Ethyl and toured with the Ministry. Billy who owns like 100 acres of land/ ranch SW of Dallas, a devout satanist, a fairly successful drummer in the industry and session musician (many genres and punk music for his own). Kirk, guitarist of Metallica, who been really successful in music. Joe Christ (RIP), underground indie filmmaker and musician. Jimmy (aka Reverend Horton Heat), successful musician. Diamanda Galas, successful musician ... and others, all have libertarian views when we talked about politics and the country. One thing that stands out with all these folks to me, is they are all indie type people that also have done fairly well for themselves, which is probably the reason why. I dont embrace libertarianism, but because I look at taxation as an importante part of our democracy, most libertarians are against taxes. I strongly support public institutions as well, yet I also am a capitalist, I just feel that a certain amount of socialism is healthy in a capitalism society that we currently have ... long story ... but some folks just dont seem to understand my thinking, for me, it's simple. But I think both sides, left and right, have ideas that are worth listening too, including anarchists.
This is Mexico ... to put it simple ... this is the human spirit of helping one another when in need.
The penis sculpture/ statue was really cool ... of course, I'm sure here in America, people will get upset over it ... I dont see why. ... I'm outta here ....
Thanks for another outstanding collection of links.
And Nonnie, you should trademark that line "Conservative are just liberals who haven't been hit with huge doctor bills yet."
I'll have some T-shirts made up and send you the first one, W. Hackwhacker! ;-)
Green: Good point. Trying to derive legitimacy from history always runs into problems like that. My feeling is that individual history matters more than group history -- any individual born and raised in a country can claim to be a native of that country, regardless of ancestry, and saying that "we" experienced this or that, when it's something before the speaker was born, often gets bogged down in definitional problems about who can claim to be part of what "we". Humans do tend to think in tribal terms, though.
Nonnie: I guess even the world failing to end has a downside. As for AA, they do conceal their religious roots and character to an extent, but the whole business of turning your life over to some "higher power" has the stench of religion on it. AA's very high failure rate shows it isn't based on anything real or objective. Rational countries recognize that addiction is basically a biochemical problem and treat it as such. We're still using faith-healing and scolding.
It's nothing short of criminal that we were robbed of Hillary's Presidency.
Ranch: Scandinavia is probably the most rational and religion-free part of the Western world. It must be a very pleasant place in most ways.
Go to hard-line Christian sites like LifeSite or Church Militant and you see nothing about helping the poor or any of the other stuff Jesus supposedly talked about the most -- it's all endless fussing about the evil of homosexuality or divorced-and-remarried people being allowed to receive the Sacraments. They're obsessed with taboo and ritual.
Trumpanzees will never see those pictures from Mexico, and will remain convinced that it's a nation of rapists and drug pushers.
The Romans certainly had different artistic standards than our modern society does. It's the lingering influence of Christianity at work.
W: Perhaps Nonnie will do a post using the same concept:-)
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