Paper wins!

But not against the overwhelming hysteria. This is nuttier than the 50s. It's the "New and Improved" Birtherism! Now all white and shiny!

And as sure as the sun rises, I was reminded once again today to stop telling people to clean their own damn House. Eh, maybe I will, maybe I won't

Oh, and get the fuck out of Syria, and Afghanistan, and Niger, and...

How sad that nobody gives a shit about the wars anymore..

It really was an inside job!

One of the things I admire about propaganda is how we can use it to provide complete absolution for the audience. We can blame it for everything the audience decides when it's convenient. I think everyone knows what I'm onto, though the denials will persist. The unfortunate part for some is that even the poorest slob can spread a rumor around the globe (I think "deepfakes" are one of the funniest things to ever hit the internet) or expose a lie at no cost to himself. For that we have to *kill the messenger*. Propaganda is intrinsic to nature. It is a vital tool of survival, but for the individual human, away from the herd, it is trivial to turn one's back. Collectively it is the same old story, but that does not alleviate any blame from the individual. You cannot scapegoat the crowd or its leaders for the choices you make. I mean, you can, but it's transparent bullshit.

I didn't know you could pile shit that high...

Of course it was the reaction that made the show... Fascinating

The crowd went crazy
As Tommy hit the stage!

The two story lines seems to share the same screenwriter:

The general consensus was that Boris actively wanted to be sacked: a political version of suicide-by-cop. It's a little flattering to him, but after this week we must finally accept that Johnson is the Tories' Raoul Moat. Like Moat's story, Boris's will eventually end the way it was always going to end; it's just a question of how many people/economic regions/diplomatic relationships he takes down with him on the way.

Over the course of the conference, I heard several former loyalists advancing the theory that their former darling had finally gone too far...

And yet... it must be must be said that for all their wanton ineptitude, and at times grotesque dysfunction, the Tories are still polling around 40%...

Yes, how many times did we hear the democrats say:
"How is it possible we're 1-0 down/only 1-0 up to a ski resort/country with the population of Bristol?"

At moments such as these, most England fans know all too well what that says about their side. Yet neither the Tories nor Labour - both of which can't wait to tell you how historically useless the other lot are - seem dimly aware what their failure to put themselves comfortably ahead against that kind of adversary says about them.

No, as conference season draws to a close, it feels a stretch to imagine we are watching two equally formidable adversaries grappling at the Reichenbach Falls. Two drunks fighting in a puddle feels more like it. We might get a clear victor, we might not. But let's not be deluded as to the quality of the spectacle.

Word

"Media Literacy". Sounds almost as disturbing as *Fake News* itself.

Basically it tells K-12 to *check their sources*. It's a good idea to teach critical thinking to little kids. That's where it should begin. But if the class doesn't start with the success of advertisement/public relations in general, and the work of Edward Bernays in particular, and, that the kids and their parents are the ones responsible for its success (you know, *the real elephant in the room*), then I doubt it will amount to much more than any other acid reflux reaction to the president, and Russia. I don't know if the professors will tell them to hold the government or politicians (or the bishop) to the same standards, and that when people are paid to lie, not that it's a requirement or anything, they will, no matter who they work for.

So kids, even if Jesus comes down off the cross, always check with the man first before you believe anything.

Sounds about right...

As for the rest of the article, I guess I'll just have to watch the movie.

As if the one in Afghanistan was or is any more justifiable. What's up with that? How much longer are you going to carry that TIKI Torch?

Now see? THIS is how you buy and sell votes!. Oh well, there goes your 2018. Steamroller's still runnin'. Thanks Obama!

You're on camera! Ain't that a purdy picture? Worth every penny

Should a birth certificate document and reflect biology, or politics?

It always looks the same

Gee, where's the gratitude?

Who?

The Republic is generally placed in the middle period of Plato's dialogues--that is, it is believed to be written after the early period dialogues but before the late period dialogues.

In this latest Times editorial on his ham-fisted, loutish, boorish, uncouth presidency This stood out:

Still, whatever their strengths and weaknesses, these past presidents worked within a structure of longstanding alliances and, in varying degrees, espoused support for democratic values, including the rule of law and human rights, all the while trying to nudge the autocrats along a similar path. President George H. W. Bush and others encouraged democracy in Russia; President Bill Clinton did likewise in China and Peru; President George W. Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Maybe some people actually believe that, which is sad of course, but I just thought the continuing nostalgic fantasy is kinda funny...

Trump won because he effectively ran unopposed. And now the cycle repeats once again as the pendulum schwings back to the same compromise and appeasement that brought us here. Still no independents. Those who run inside the party will always serve the party. They have no choice. Noncompliance will only send the "contributors" elsewhere. Simple law of the jungle.

A while back I discovered that theyâ(TM)re selling photographic film again, so I bought a package of three rolls of 35mm Kodak color film. Not sure what Iâ(TM)ll photograph, but the Minolta 35 mm SLR takes a hell of a lot better pictures than my phone. Actually, than any phoneâ"and any digital camera.
        I got home, set the film aside (itâ(TM)s a lot more expensive than the last time I used film) and looked for my camera, which hadnâ(TM)t been used for a couple of decades.
        I couldnâ(TM)t find it. I was sure Iâ(TM)d put it in the middle drawer of my dresser, but no matter how much I rummaged I couldnâ(TM)t find it. And damn it, Iâ(TM)d paid eighteen dollars for the film and didnâ(TM)t keep the receipt. That was a few days ago.
        So yesterday I decided to look again, maybe it was in a different drawer? I looked through all of them, and finally rummaged through the one Iâ(TM)d looked in earlier. And I found a small case with a zipper, and there was a camera inside.
        An old sixteen millimeter, the kind you used flash cubes with. Looking more, I found another camera. It was a cheapo as well. And then at the back of the bottom of the drawer, there it was. My old camera, the SLR (I have another 35mm but itâ(TM)s not nearly as good).
        Checking it out I wondered if I could remember how to use it. On the bottom was a screwed in battery cover. I opened it and stuck the battery in my pocket, since after half a century that batteryâ(TM)s certainly more than dead.
        So I want back to Walgreenâ(TM)s for a new battery.
        They donâ(TM)t make them any more. Itâ(TM)s a mercury battery, and they no longer sell anything with mercury in it. And itâ(TM)s a strange 1.6 volts, the new ones are 1.3 or 1.5, which is going to make my light meter inaccurate. Iâ(TM)ll have to experiment to find out how to adjust it... that is, if I can get it to work at all. Itâ(TM)s thinner than the old battery, and I donâ(TM)t think the polarity is marked. And itâ(TM)s thinner, so Iâ(TM)ll probably have to use aluminum foil as a spacer to make it connect. That means Iâ(TM)ll have a burrito from La Bamba for lunch tomorrow, because they wrap them in foil. Iâ(TM)m not buying a whole roll for a square inch of foil!
***
        Two days later as I was eating my burrito I remembered that film changed sometime in the 1980s, with the film speeds changing from ASA to ISO, so I put off opening the battery until I could do a little research. I found that the cameraâ(TM)s built-in light meter wouldnâ(TM)t work; conversion was more complex than converting Fahrenheit to Celcius. So now Iâ(TM)m going to have to schlep all the way over to the west side of town, or all the way up to the north side.
        And then I thought of the other cameraâ"the one we call a âoephoneâ. It could probably be used as a light meter, so it looks like I have a little more research.
        So I downloaded two or three photographic light meters, all of which were completely incomprehensible and none of which came with instructions.
        So it looks like my only recourse is to go to the camera store and buy a light meter. I googled, and everything was either on the far north side of town or the far west side. One listed was Best Buy, and since Iâ(TM)d decided to hook my TV to the network I needed a cable and went there.
        They had the short cable I needed, and lots of camera supplies, but no light meters. Itâ(TM)s probably because cameras had built-in light meters for the last half century, but film changed from ASA to ISO three decades ago or so, so it would no longer work even if they still made batteries for it.
        So I asked the guy for directions to the camera shop, got in the car and looked at Google Maps, and couldnâ(TM)t find the damned place! When I got home I looked it up again, have a better idea of where it is, and will have to go back out there, but Iâ(TM)m calling first.
        I should have called. I found it on the map, drove out there, and found the hard to find camera store.
        Their cheapest light meter was over $250! Thatâ(TM)s way, way too much. The store guy explained that it was because so few people are shooting film now, and new cameras have built-in light meters so they only made really fancy ones. It made sense, but of course I was disappointed. Not sure what to do now, Iâ(TM)m not paying that much for a light meter! I only paid fifteen bucks for one when I was a teenager.
        Then, on my way out, I saw something that cheered me greatlyâ"a small blackboard with a notice that they could digitize VCR tape! Itâ(TM)s worth twenty five bucks to me to get that tape of my kids when they were kids digitized.
        But I still donâ(TM)t know what to do about that light meter. Guess Iâ(TM)ll have to check Google Play again and try all the light meter apps. Iâ(TM)m not very hopeful...
        Any ideas?