Today's Eternal Sadness

Just can't get enough.  Here's a list of the shootings (just the ones at schools) since  Sandy Hook in Dec2012:

#	Date	City	State	School Name	School Type
1.	1/08/2013	Fort Myers	FL	Apostolic Revival Center Christian School	K-12
2.	1/10/2013	Taft	CA	Taft Union High School	K-12
3.	1/15/2013	St. Louis	MO	Stevens Institute of Business & Arts	College/University
4.	1/15/2013	Hazard	KY	Hazard Community and Technical College	College/University
5.	1/16/2013	Chicago	IL	Chicago State University	College/University
6.	1/22/2013	Houston	TX	Lone Star College North Harris Campus	College/University
7.	1/31/2013	Atlanta	GA	Price Middle School	K-12
8.	2/1/2013	Atlanta	GA	Morehouse College	College/University
9.	2/7/2013	Fort Pierce	FL	Indian River St. College	College/University
10.	2/13/2013	San Leandro	CA	Hillside Elementary School	K-12
11.	2/27/2013	Atlanta	GA	Henry W. Grady HS	K-12
12.	3/18/2013	Orlando	FL	University of Central Florida	College/University
13.	3/21/2013	Southgate	MI	Davidson Middle School	K-12
14.	4/12/2013	Christianburg	VA	New River Community College	College/University
15.	4/13/2013	Elizabeth City	NC	Elizabeth City State University	College/University
16.	4/15/2013	Grambling	LA	Grambling State University	College/University
17.	4/16/2013	Tuscaloosa	AL	Stillman College	College/University
18.	4/29/2013	Cincinnati	OH	La Salle High School	K-12
19.	6/7/2013	Santa Monica	CA	Santa Monica College	College/University
20.	6/19/2013	W. Palm Beach	FL	Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts	K-12
21.	8/15/2013	Clarksville	TN	Northwest High School	K-12
22.	8/20/2013	Decatur	GA	Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy	K-12
23.	8/22/2013	Memphis	TN	Westside Elementary School	K-12
24.	8/23/2013	Sardis	MS	North Panola High School	K-12
25.	8/30/2013	Winston-Salem	NC	Carver High School	K-12
26.	9/21/2013	Savannah	GA	Savannah State University	College/University
27.	9/28/2013	Gray	ME	New Gloucester High School	K-12
28.	10/4/2013	Pine Hills	FL	Agape Christian Academy	K-12
29.	10/15/2013	Austin	TX	Lanier High School	K-12
30.	10/21/2013	Sparks	NV	Sparks Middle School	K-12
31.	11/1/2013	Algona	IA	Algona High/Middle School	K-12
32.	11/2/2013	Greensboro	NC	North Carolina A&T State University	College/University
33.	11/3/2013	Stone Mountain	GA	Stephenson High School	K-12
34.	11/21/2013	Rapid City	SD	South Dakota School of Mines & Technology	College/University
35.	12/4/2013	Winter Garden	FL	West Orange High School	K-12
36.	12/13/2013	Arapahoe County	CO	Arapahoe High School	K-12
37.	12/19/2013	Fresno	CA	Edison High School	K-12
38.	1/9/2014	Jackson	TN	Liberty Technology Magnet HS	K-12
39.	1/14/2014	Roswell	NM	Berrendo Middle School	K-12
40.	1/15/2014	Lancaster	PA	Martin Luther King Jr. ES	K-12
41.	1/17/2014	Philadelphia	PA	Delaware Valley Charter HS	K-12
42.	1/20/2014	Chester	PA	Widener University	College/University
43.	1/21/2014	West Lafayette	IN	Purdue University	College/University
44.	1/24/2014	Orangeburg	SC	South Carolina State University	College/University
45.	1/28/2014	Nashville	TN	Tennessee State University	College/University
46.	1/28/2014	Grambling	LA	Grambling State University	College/University
47.	1/30/2014	Palm Bay	FL	Eastern Florida State College	College/University
48.	1/31/2014	Phoenix	AZ	Cesar Chavez High School	K-12
49.	1/31/2014	Des Moines	IA	North High School	K-12
50.	2/7/2014	Bend	OR	Bend High School	K-12
51.	2/10/2014	Salisbury	NC	Salisbury High School	K-12
52.	2/11/2014	Lyndhurst	OH	Brush High School	K-12
53.	2/12/2014	Jackson	TN	Union University	College/University
54.	2/20/2014	Raytown	MO	Raytown Success Academy	K-12
55.	3/2/2014	Westminster	MD	McDaniel College	College/University
56.	3/7/2014	Tallulah	LA	Madison High School	K-12
57.	3/8/2014	Oshkosh	WI	University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh	College/University
58.	3/21/2014	Newark	DE	University of Delaware	College/University
59.	3/30/2014	Savannah	GA	Savannah State University	College/University
60.	4/3/2014	Kent	OH	Kent State University	College/University
61.	4/7/2014	Roswell	NM	Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell	College/University
62.	4/11/2014	Detroit	MI	East English Village Preparatory Academy	K-12
63.	4/21/2014	Griffith	IN	St. Mary Catholic School	K-12
64.	4/21/2014	Provo	UT	Provo High School	K-12
65.	4/26/2014	Council Bluffs	IA	Iowa Western Community College	College/University
66.	5/2/2014	Milwaukee	WI	Marquette University	College/University
67.	5/3/2014	Everett	WA	Horizon Elementary School	K-12
68.	5/4/2014	Augusta	GA	Paine College	College/University
69.	5/5/2014	Augusta	GA	Paine College	College/University
70.	5/8/2014	Georgetown	KY	Georgetown College	College/University
71.	5/8/2014	Lawrenceville	GA	Georgia Gwinnett College	College/University
72.	5/21/2014	Milwaukee	WI	Clark Street School	K-12
73.	6/5/2014	Seattle	WA	Seattle Pacific University	College/University
74.	6/10/2014	Troutdale	OR	Reynolds High School	K-12

74.  Seventy-fucking-four.  At schools.  Every 9 or 10 days.

everytown.org

This Business Of Teaching

Most 'conservatives' will say (ie: just repeat whatever they heard somebody say that they think sounded kinda smart) - anyway, they'll say they want a school (eg) to be run more like a business.  And then they usually go on to say a lot of things that leave most of us wondering if they have the first fucking clue about running any kind of anything that bears even the remotest resemblance to a business.  From what we've seen of American Management in the last 20 years or so, I'm not holding out lotsa hope for anything to improve any time soon.

Here's Curmudgucation on the subject of evaluating teachers:

Before you can judge teachers, you have to decide what you want them to do. That turns out to be really complicated and difficult and wildly varied from parent to taxpayer to administrators to bureaucrats. It even varies within families-- what I want you to accomplish with my oldest child may be way different from what I want you to accomplish with my youngest.

Because this is so hugely difficult, we mostly just don't do it. We collective wave our hands in the general directions of students and say, "I don't know. Go do teachy things." If you want to evaluate people on job performance, you have to decide what job you want them to perform.

And there ya go.  First things first.  What is it you want those teachers to do?  What are the benchmarks?  We have to stop stoopidly insisting that a job description can be "do the job I want you to do" and that's all it needs to say.

Accountability only works when it flows in both directions; it requires the boss to be accountable as well - for setting reasonable goals and expectations; for sticking with the plan until or unless changes are truly warranted by checking real results against those reasonable expectations; for not changing the plan in the middle of everything just because it's politically expedient for you to fuck over somebody's union, or because you need to get up over the next bonus hurdle to cover the down payment on your new boat, or because your 2nd cousin suddenly discovered his burning passion for student assessment and testing technologies that require a "quick and substantial investment of tax dollars in our children's future blah blah blah".

And gosh - it suddenly occurs to me that what we need the teachers to do is what teachers try to do every fucking day of their careers - assess needs, set goals, make plans, implement their plans, check each student's progress, measure their own effectiveness and tweak their plans as they go, etc etc etc.  And what we need the Admin to do is what the teachers try to do every fucking day of their careers.

I can read.  I can read a whole buncha stuff on education and teaching and all that, and I can make it sound like I know more than I actually know about almost anything - cuz I'm a good salesman.  But I'm not a school teacher, so I actually know exactly jack shit about what it takes to be a good school teacher.

Ya wanna know who does know something about being a good teacher?  Teachers.

Maybe we could find some of those teacher people - AND FUCKING LISTEN TO THEM.

Today's Genius In Marketing

Because we've been supremely successful at making you paranoid about being hip and accepted and not uncool, we can get you to buy pretty much any shit we tell you to buy.

And no - they're not kidding

Ah, Virginia

Hard to believe sometimes that Virginia is where America started; the birthplace of presidents; among the first places where 'commonwealth' was adopted as a governing philosophy.

4 out of the first 5 presidents of this amazing country were sons of Virginia, but lately, we've had Vaginal Bob McDonnell and Kenny the Kooch Cuccinelli and now - just so the Dems don't feel left out (and also too, so pundits and press poodles can propagate the "both sides" meme), we get Phil Puckett.

Former state Sen. Phillip P. Puckett, D-Russell, said Monday that his daughter’s future as a judge was a large reason behind his decision to resign.

Senate Republicans had balked at backing Puckett’s daughter, Martha P. Ketron, for a full six-year appointment to a juvenile court judgeship in Southwest Virginia, saying they oppose giving judicial appointments to family members of sitting legislators.

“She cannot be confirmed into the position permanently as long as I serve in the General Assembly,” Puckett said. “My colleagues on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that she is fully qualified for the position.

“At this point in my life, I feel that I cannot allow my political career to hamper my daughter’s future and her desire to serve the families and children of our area on the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.”

--and--

Puckett’s resignation ignited a firestorm by effectively giving the Republicans a 20-19 majority in the previously Democrat-controlled chamber. It altered the landscape of deadlocked negotiations over a new state budget and whether the spending plan will include Medicaid expansion.

A Quick Observation

Conservatives are sure of their facts in very much the same way drunk people are sure they're speaking softly and saying hilariously clever things.

Today's Pix

Also some Pawel Kuczynski:

And just to get you fired up and ready to go:

Professional Left Podcast

This week's episode (#235) from The Professional Left via Stitcher Radio:

If nobody can see you or hear you, then you can't be held to account.  It's the Invisible Man effect.

So if you insist on never looking back at even the very recent past - when (eg) you said something that directly contradicts what you're saying today - and you just keep on saying things like "listen to what I'm saying NOW, and never mind what I said (actually what those dirty libruls are saying I said) way back whenever" - eventually, the rubes catch the drift and assimilate the comforting techniques of deep denial, and they'll stay in line and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again.

Deny deny deny:

Saturday Nite

Cheap Sunglasses --ZZ Top




I Just Wanna Make Love To You --Foghat




Tell Mama --Savoy Brown




The End Is Not In Sight --The Amazing Rhythm Aces




Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley --Robert Palmer




Let It Roll --Little Feat




and I'm out

The Ammosexuals

And if I stop for just short bit (to listen again to the part where Bill says it straight out), I begin to understand that Da Gubmint isn't going to do anything about our gun problem because they can't - we'll have to leave it all up to the ones who hold the real power in this country - The Corporations.

A New Term

Black Track

BTW - listen for the part where Nicole Wallace wants a Gitmo big enough to hold 2 billion people.  Really, Nicole?  You wanna grab all of our "enemies" and cram them into concentration camps? Then what do we do with 'em?

Maybe she got herself into a blind corner, but usually, when that happens, what you blurt - the things that just seem to fall outa your mouth - those are generally your true thoughts.  Wallace comes off as "one of the reasonable ones", but I ain't buyin' that shit now.  Not after that.

About That 2nd Amendment Thing

Stewart hits it on the head.



I posted this before, and I guess the world is just now catching up with me (blogging is all about self-flagellation first, followed by self congratulation - for having been so nobly self-flegellating in the first place).

Anyway, here's what we tell all the Ammosexuals:  Never leave the house without strapping on at least one of your guns, being sure to wear it in plain view of everyone.  Then, because you need to be safe, and because you have the absolute right to stand your ground if you feel the slightest threat or provocation, whenever you see somebody else who's carrying a gun, shoot them.

Sometimes, ya just gotta let The Stoopid play itself out.

God Love John Oliver

And the response was big enough to crash the server trying to handle the FCC's comments page.

It's up again now.

https://www.fcc.gov/comments

Try to remember that "The Government" is still (tho' sometimes just barely) in charge of some of its own functions; but privatization is a real thing and a real threat to our little experiment in self-governance; and that if we're going to have a real shot at turning back this hostile takeover, we'll have to step out from behind the comfortable illusion of online anonymity.

If you want the power, you have to stand up and take the power.  Nobody's handing it out.

Logical Fallacy #15 - Appeal To Authority

Argument from authority (Latin: argumentum ab auctoritate), also authoritative argument and appeal to authority, is a common form of argument which leads to a logical fallacy when misused.[1]

In informal reasoning, the appeal to authority is a form of argument attempting to establish a statistical syllogism.[2] The appeal to authority relies on an argument of the form:

A is an authority on a particular topic

A says something about that topic

A is probably correct

Fallacious examples of using the appeal include any appeal to authority used in the context of logical reasoning, and appealing to the position of an authority or authorities to dismiss evidence,[2][3][4][5] as, while authorities can be correct in judgments related to their area of expertise more often than laypersons,[citation needed] they can still come to the wrong judgments through error, bias, dishonesty, or falling prey to groupthink. Thus, the appeal to authority is not a generally reliable argument for establishing facts.[6]

Legalized Dope

I'm hoping I never go back to smoking anything, and I'm not convinced (yet) that fully legalizing marijuana is such a great idea - but all that said, so far so good.  At least it seems Colorado is making it work.

From Nation of Change:

Not counting medicinal weed sales, Colorado sold nearly $19 million in their recreational weed market in the month of March, and $1.9 million of that goes straight into government coffers and towards building schools. At this pace, according to PolicyMic, Colorado will make $30 million this year in pot taxes alone.

--and--

Crime rates in Colorado have dropped by 10.6% while Dunkin Donuts has begun expanding its brand in the state (really). It looks like a really good future for people living in Colorado, or any state that legalizes both medical and recreational marijuana – though it is admittedly too early to tell.The cherry on top of this tax-generating cake? Crime rates are also down in Colorado, so while kids are hopefully going to get a better education, the government (idealistically) will spend more money improving infrastructure and other business opportunities for Colorado citizens, and unemployment rates are plummeting. The Colorado police can take a little rest from their duties.

We'll see what happens down the road, of course - the likelihood of Murphy's Law kicking in with a powerful vengeance increases by at least an order of magnitude when you put politicians in charge of just about anything.

What seems pretty cool tho' is that first, you're generating some decent revenues (both private and public) which pumps up the dollar circulation in many hundreds of localities, which gooses lotsa local economies, which makes for more jobs, which makes for more taxpayers, which makes for better revenue streams etc etc - all of which means it gets a little easier to make that big ol' wheel go 'round.

But the thing that really stands out for me is that Colorado is reporting a fair drop in crime.  There's nothing totally concrete about linking pot sales to a drop in crime - altho' in my experience, it's a lot harder to do all that macho shit when you're stoned - but it's not outa the question and anyway, I think the obvious benefit is that the Law Dogs can stop wasting time and energy and money trying to enforce a buncha really stoopid Pot Rules. Plus, we should see a drop in the truly shitty activities of the Cop Entrepreneur - the kinda crap where cops make a bust solely because they can confiscate the property of a "Drug Kingpin" in order to pay for a coupla cruisers or body armor or because they can pick up a surplus MRAP left over from Iraq and Afghanistan, but they'll need a few extra hundred K so they can qualify for the matching funds from their buddies at DHS or DEA or BATF or whoever else is sending their kids to Preppy Mills by funneling public dollars into private coffers.

So anything that kinda mellows us out, and potentially puts a hole in the crony-go-round bullshit that is The War On Drugs?  Sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

Dear Mr Congress Critter

Monthly email from my congress critter, Bob Hurt:

I'm no longer willing to make nice with elected officials who're living on my dime while they're so obviously not doing what's in the best interest of the people they're supposed to be representing.  

Now, you may well postulate that by being something of an asshole in my responses, it's little wonder they seem not to be interested in what I have to say, but hey - they weren't listening to me in the first place, so what the fuck difference does it make?

Here's what I wrote back:

“This month, it was reported that over 800,000 people dropped out of our labor force in April -- reducing the labor force participation rate to a 35-year low. Many communities in the Fifth District continue to experience unemployment rates well above the national average, and our rate of recovery from the economic downturn has been weak. That is why the House of Representatives has adopted dozens of pro-growth proposals that would help jumpstart our economy and get us back on track. However, the President and the Senate must join in our effort. It is my hope that in the coming months we will be able to find bipartisan common ground in encouraging job opportunities for Virginians and Americans, and I remain committed to continuing to work toward this crucial goal."

So it seems pretty obvious that you and your GOP colleagues (both in DC and in Richmond) are doing a spectacularly shitty job for us here at home, and as always, you're all more than willing to work very hard to find anyone other than yourselves to blame for the crappy conditions your constituents are struggling with.

You are in charge in the House, Bob.  And you are in charge in both houses in Richmond, Bob.

Stop wasting my time and my money on astoundingly stupid things like Benghazi, and start moving on things like clean energies and Medicaid expansion and public health and a livable wage and other fair labor laws and any number of issues - you know, Bob - the things that might actually help somebody here in CD 5 instead of being solely for the benefit of the cronies on Wall Street and K Street and up in NOVA and Crystal City and downtown Richmond.  These are the things everybody knows will help push the economy forward and help get more of us back on track - everybody seems to know this except you and the nitwit rubes that you scam on a regular basis.

Or is it really that you're doing a terrific job of punishing the great unwashed until they cry uncle and roll over for whatever scraps you and your pimps are willing to throw their way?

I'm not the only one who knows you suck, Bob.  And I'm not the only one who's hip to the tricks.  Some of those rubes are starting to wise up too.

Mike Roberts
Earlysville
434.960.8698
evillemike2009@gmail.com

The Truth About Introverts

Top ten myths about introverts:

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
 This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
 Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude. 
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
 On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public. 
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone. 
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird. 
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds. 
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
 Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts. 
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

Today's Pix

(click on the pic and it will embiggen)

Maybe Next Time

Drinking and guns and a casual confrontation - what could possibly go wrong?

KMSP-TV

Getting a little shit-faced kinda short-circuits your Impulse Control Mechanism. Trigger an impulse with practically any kind of instigating incident; add the convenience of a readily available gun as a simple means of satisfying that impulse, and "suddenly" you've got the neighbor lady saying she was shocked (in that standard, neighbor lady way) that the guy would behave like that because she'd never seen anything like it before and she just can't imagine how such horrible things could happen here on our quiet little family street.

Today's Eternal Sadness

(paraphrasing Samantha Bee) Since we can't prevent all gun tragedies, why do anything at all to prevent any gun tragedy?

The Daily Show
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We are so fucked.