Think Of Something Better

And that kinda goes with a piece at WaPo:

The U.S. suicide rate has increased sharply since the turn of the century, led by an even greater rise among middle-aged white people, particularly women, according to federal data released Friday.

Last decade’s severe recession, more drug addiction, “gray divorce,” increased social isolation, and even the rise of the Internet and social media may have contributed to the growth in suicide, according to a variety of people who study the issue.

But economic distress — and dashed hopes generally — may underpin some of the increase, particularly for middle-aged white people. The data showed a 1 percent annual increase in suicide between 1999 and 2006 but a 2 percent yearly hike after that, as the economy deteriorated, unemployment skyrocketed and millions lost their homes.

“People [were] growing up with a certain expectation . . . and the Great Recession and other things have really changed that,” said Julie A. Phillips, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University who studies the demography of suicide. “Things aren’t panning out the way people expect. I feel for sure that has had an effect.”

How Things Change

In 1969, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins took this picture of Apollo 11's Lunar Landing Module, with (obviously) the Earth in the background.

Dramatic and interesting and Nerd-Cool-As-Fuck, because at that moment, Collins is the only human being - living or dead - who isn't in that picture.

What's the word for the exact opposite of "selfie"?

English Is Weird

... although, through tough thorough thought, it can be made to make sense.

A Lousy 10 Million

Figure out two things: 

1) how to get the nerds the support they need

2) how to stay the fuck outa their way

Today's Tweet

Patternicity. What you see in the clouds is influenced by what's on your mind. A stiff salute to Queen Elizabeth pic.twitter.com/99G87wECCE

— Michael Shermer (@michaelshermer) April 21, 2016

I'll make allowance for the possibility that somebody's had his PhotoShoppy way with this, but c'mon - there just can't be a more fitting graphic to make the connection between Heads-Of-State and their Big Guns.

We Could Call It Progress

Beat on your neighbor - you go to jail.

Beat on your dog - you go to jail.

Beat on your kids - well, the little boogers gotta learn some respect, dammit.

And We Lose Another One

(Apocryphal or not): Someone asked Eric Clapton what it felt like to be the greatest guitar player in the world, and he answered, "I don't know - ask Prince".

Clapton played on the original track (White Album), but couldn't make it to the George tribute - so Prince stood in for him.

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)

Today's Tweet

"How it feels as a Canadian watching US politics right now" pic.twitter.com/93Qj6mT71F

— TheLADbible (@TheLadBible) April 21, 2016

Another 420

Usually, on April 20th, I put up a post to be kinda jokey about The Hemp Rangers, or I'll try to link it back to the struggles of working people against the Corporatists, but every once in a while, I feel the need to hedge my bets against the whole after-life thing.

So just in case Adolph is able to check in with us (this being his birthday and all), and because there's a sizable portion of Americans who seem to think Mr Hitler had some good ideas too - which makes them think it's OK to support the authoritarian crap spilling out of the GOP right now - I think it's important to take just a small moment to mock him (and them) unmercifully, and to make sure they all know how stoopidly childish their behavior is.

(and of course, I do this in a stoopidly childish way to make sure they can understand it)

So Adolph was an extremely bad guy who did extremely bad things.  And he didn't love his country; he actually had a deep sense of shame and loathing for himself and everybody else, and his whole political career was aimed at punishing the German people for being stoopid enough to follow The Kaiser, and then even stoopider for following him, and all he could think of was to burn the whole place down etc etc etc.

But a Nickelback fan? Universal condemnation is in order - so yeah - fuck that guy.

Today's Pix

Today's Quote

"I don't have time for anything that has no soul."

--Charles Bukowski

hat tip = Twitter buddies @Paulus_vv & @gnousdz

Today's Tweet

pic.twitter.com/OP7d6VNpHu

— ℛ༏ѵɛя (@River5369) April 18, 2016

New One For Me

From a guy named Chauncey DeVega, Tim Wise talking about Brain Studies and Trump voters - starting at about 33 minutes:

Today's Word

Today's Tweet

If this retractable tape measure snaps back & cuts my hand just one more time, I may be forced to stand up & get the remote control myself.

— Annie (@HatfieldAnne) July 23, 2015

Today's GIF

Today's Tweet

Tech Support https://t.co/kRKkh3trgr pic.twitter.com/UDA5gD0jJs

— Cynical Spunkferret (@namtien92) April 16, 2016

Please, Mr Kasich

The danger is that what some folks have been hoping will happen is still a possibility - ie: positioning Kasich as 'the moderate choice'. He's trying to take advantage of the media narrative of Trump being out on one extreme and Bernie being out there on the other extreme, with Kasich in the middle.  And never mind Hillary or Ted because they're both kookie too, just in a different way.  What ya really need is a kindly conservative like Plain Ol' Gee-Golly John.

Kasich's record is pretty easy to characterize as Authoritarian and Austerian, along with Privatizing and (at least Semi-) Theocratic. And, with that video, we could add Tone Deaf or  maybe even Brain Dead.  It's pretty easy to find lotsa criticism for that record online.

A lot of weird shit could happen in Cleveland - Kasich's back yard btw. Right now, there's a GOP rule (I think it's #40b) that's being interpreted as saying you don't get nominated if you haven't won a majority of delegates in at least 8 primaries. Lotsa speculation and wrangling over that one. Parties almost always open their national conventions with a few sessions of their Rules Committees, so we'll just hafta wait to see what silliness pops up this time around.

I think Kasich's pretty sure he's out, but that doesn't mean he can't be King-Maker; and it doesn't mean he won't make a play for Party Savior etc etc etc. So Kasich's job right now is to put himself somewhere between Trump and Cruz, and to re-paper the GOP with a plausible veneer that lets 'em Etch-A-Sketch their way back to the 90s when they were a big steamin' pile of freakzoid zealots, but they were all a lot better at pretending they weren't.

Here's the thing: Don't be fooled by all this Moderate-By-Comparison bullshit that the PR guys are peddling - a smiling hyena will still eat your kids.

This shit prob'ly gets worse before it gets better.

Caribou Barbie

So, Sarah Palin's at it again.

Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin argued Thursday that Bill Nye is not actually a scientist.

“Bill Nye is as much a scientist as I am,” Palin said at an event in Washington, D.C., according to The Hill. “He’s a kids’ show actor; he’s not a scientist.”

Now, at first blush, I have to ask - does she really not know how to spell 'google' or what? Or is she just really sure that nobody in the audience is gonna check on anything, so she can Slap-Chop her way thru a few page-fuls of about 1500 randomly selected (and barely related words), knowing it doesn't fucking matter?

So I just have to wonder - no, seriously now - I do. She's not really all that dumb. There's something going on in whatever it is she's using as a brain, but it's like she's internalized the process of Deliberate Ignorance to the point where she's convinced herself that being stoopid is how 'being smart' works. And maybe it is, in her own special way - because she's got a following. She has a group of people who practically hang on her every word. And you don't build that kinda loyalty just being dumb - even tho' (obviously) it helps a lot if you can get the crowds to believe you're as stoopid as you think they are. Or something.  

It makes my head hurt.

Today's Pix