December 2011
102 posts
Well, that didn't take long
@ronlieberRon Lieber
Verizon wireless has reversed itself on fee increase. More to come…
7 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneFavorite Retweet Reply
Retweeted by nytimes
Confessin' the blues (the last church-y stuff)
“When they launched their first Roman Catholic mobile phone application early this year, the founders of the Indiana-based startup Little i Apps had hoped their product would reach a small, niche market of fellow Catholics.
“They never dreamed their Confession app, which provides a step-by-step guide to giving confessions, would turn out to be such a hit, breaking into the iPhone App...
Paul Krugman and those pesky facts
“We entered 2011 amid dire warnings about a Greek-style debt crisis that would happen as soon as the Federal Reserve stopped buying bonds, or the rating agencies ended our triple-A status, or the superdupercommittee failed to reach a deal, or something. But the Fed ended its bond-purchase program in June; Standard & Poor’s downgraded America in August; the supercommittee deadlocked in...
Quote of the day
The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get to the office.
- Robert Frost
The Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce
ABDICATION, n. An act whereby a sovereign attests his sense of the high temperature of the throne.
On this date...
1970 - Paul McCartney sued the other three Beatles to dissolve the partnership and gain control of his interest.
Verizon steps in it
You’d think after the Bank of America debacle in the fall when they proposed charging customers for spending their own money with BoA debit card that companies would be chary of stirring up trouble, but noooo. Verizon announced today they will charge a $2 convenience fee to people who go to Verizon’s own website and pay their bill! Paradoxically they won’t charge the fee if...
Mind your manners please
Speaking of churches...
“Bemused tourists looked on as about 100 priests fought with brooms while cleaning the church in preparation for Orthodox Christmas, on 7 January.
Palestinian police armed with batons and shields broke up the clashes.
Groups of priests have clashed before in the church, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born.
“It was a trivial problem that… occurs every...
Bible studies
I somehow missed out on this one during my brief period as a church-goer.
(Whatever happened to a dowry of ten goats and a sack of gold ?)
“ 1 Samuel 18:27: “David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him...
Anyone with a big back yard want to adopt a horse?
The owners of Rapid Redux are looking for a retirement home for their star after he retires following one or two races in 2012. As a gelding, he’s sadly not bound for the breeding shed and a succession of comely mares to cover.
“As far as Rapid Redux’s accomplishments this year, [trainer David] Wells said he believes it is legitimate for his horse, who did most of his winning at the...
Out-sourcing labour
Sukree Sukplang/REUTERS
Two-year-old chimpanzee “Do Do” bottle feeds milk to “Aorn”, a 60-day-old tiger cub, at the Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo on the outskirts of Bangkok July 30, 2011.
Quote of the day (2)
A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
- Douglas Adams
Colder than a banker's heart
This is Montreal and this is the end of December, but still…
With the wind chill it feels like -27C or -17F.
Almost to the point where spit freezes before it hits the ground.
Busted
On this date...
1890 - The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacred over 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek, SD. This was the last major conflict between Indians and U.S. troops.
Quote of the day
Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth.
- Ludwig Börne
The Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce
GOUT, n. A physician’s name for the rheumatism of a rich patient.
"Top Five Regrets of The Dying"
“For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.
“People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a...
WatchIt’s that time of year. Here’s the top trending YouTube hits of 2011
h/t The Dish
The fog of war
(Banaras Khan/AFP/Getty Images)
NATO-supply oil tankers burn following an attack by gunmen on the main highway at Kolpur village in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province on August 22.
An obvious ploy to increase my readership
“The Department of Homeland Security makes fake users on Twitter and Facebook with which to follow suspicious people. But what if you’re not shifty enough to get your own government e-stalker? No problem: Just tweet “My cow collapsed, and now there’s a human to animal infection outbreak among illegal immigrants.”
That should bring heaps of DHS scrutiny, judging from...
Internet radio
I can’t remember the last time I listened to terrestrial radio; at home and work I almost always have Radio Paradise playing. Commercial-free and all songs selected by a knowledgeable human being. Highly recommended.
When I feel like listening to a specific genre of music I usually cue up iTune’s Genius function, which sometimes brings up some unusual songs on my iPhone that I...
The Honeymooners
My nephew and his bride and my niece-in-law (if that’s a term) and husband are honeymooning (separately) in Italy. Must be nice ! Anyway, here’s a picture the n-i-l posted on FB:
The Donald: Fact-free and past embarrassment
Damn that internet thing, which has this official White House video of Barack and Michelle wishing their fellow Americans a Merry Christmas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsYvgIVEROU&feature=player_embedded
Hat tip TPM
There are some days I'd like to erase too
Somoa is wiping out December 30th. It just won’t occur. All part of a change to the same time zone as Australia and China, a move which requires it to cross the international Date Line.
“Ain’t it funny…how time slips away”
How can I miss you (if you won't ever go away)?
One of my favourite lyrics.
Yes, as you might have noticed, I was absent over Christmas/Boxing Day. A Very Nice Person took me in for the holidays and I wasn’t about to spend my time in front of a keyboard in return.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
New Year's resolutions - get mad about things
There are a couple of things to get very, very angry about. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is one. Here’s a good description of it and why it threatens the very existence of the internet.
Next up is the continued malevolent behaviour of the TBTF banks. They’re not just greedy, they’re felonious. Matt Taibbi is again on the case.
If you have any remaining indignation to...
On this date...
1983 - Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys drowned while swimming near his boat in the harbor at Marina del Ray, CA.
The Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce
ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves with hands so deeply inserted in each others pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third.
Quote of the day
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But I repeat myself.
Mark Twain
Paul Krugman didn't get the Christmas memo
But good on him for calling out the lies:
“And you’re supposed to match each attack on Republicans with an attack on Democrats, as if the mendacity were equal on both sides. Sorry, but it isn’t. Democrats aren’t angels; they’re human and sometimes corrupt — but they don’t operate a lie machine 24/7 the way modern Republicans do.”
Six seconds in '69
I’m not quite sure how I stumbled across this, and I really don’t ‘get’ rap, hip-hop, club, pub, dub, drums’n’bass, etc., but the story behind the drum solo in 1969’s Amen, Brother is fascinating. It’s only six (or seven, depending on who does the counting) long, and you may think you don’t know it, but you do. It is probably the most...
The Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce
Historian: A broad-gauge gossip.
Quote of the day
Done is better than perfect
- Anon.
On this date...
1979 - Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in support of the country’s Marxist government.
Going nowhere fast
ZeroHedge has an amazing analysis:
“Considering close-to-close changes from the beginning of the year, we see that the average shift of 6 points per day (pre-USA-downgrade) has more than doubled post the downgrade to 12.6 points per day. The S&P 500 has traveled, close-to-close only, an incredible 3193 points on the year while from the 12/31/10 close, the index itself has moved a mere...
Rolling Stones - HTW Tower Theater, PHILLY!, PA.
Walk this way
The Economist explains:
“More than any other way of getting around—such as being crushed into a train or stuck in a traffic jam—walking appears to offer freedom of choice. Reality is more complicated. Whether stepping aside to avoid a collision, following the person in front through a crowd or navigating busy streets, pedestrians are autonomous yet constrained by others.”
“If...
Only 13? I can think of a dozen more...
(Nicked from Facebook)