Friday morning links

The death of the dinner date

I think you could tag this as 'truthy'. What the article really says is that the (myth of) dinner together as a first date is declining. I'd suggest it never was all that common, and first meetings were always in more casual settings.

#1 Christopher B on 2016-12-30 08:44 (Reply)

I read that article earlier this morning: it was hilarious. A dinner date is too intimate and requires too much investment of time, emotional risk, and money? And this is aimed at people who will have sex with someone they've known for a few hours and whose friends and family they have never met. Deeply confused about the process.

#1.1 Texan99 on 2016-12-30 13:18 (Reply)

21 days left.

13 US working days.

#2 JJM on 2016-12-30 09:07 (Reply)

at this point it would be cheaper to send Barry on a vacation, or give him another well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize, just to distract him with shiny objects.

#2.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 12:09 (Reply)

He's doing all this damage while he's on vacation, he's been here in Hawaii for almost 2 weeks. He's milking his last vacation on taxpayer dollars to the max, playing golf every day and going to Honolulu's most expensive restaurants every night. Seeing him every year, you realize what a shallow, selfish and venal man he is. No regard for anyone around him. The one that stunned me this time is he decided to go to the Vintage Cave restaurant in Ala Moana Shopping Center for dinner the week before Christmas on one of the busiest shopping nights of the year. The traffic is already bad at the shopping center at this time of year, this would have totally gridlocked it. All the merchants must have been spitting mad. Plus the restaurant he picked is right next to the terminal for JAL/JTB tourists coming in from Japan (where they bring them from the airport to decompress before going to their hotels) as well as a huge Japanese food court where tons of people eat, so those two places must have been a nightmare as well--probably just shut down.

I am just thankful that so far this time I have not gotten caught in any of his blockades. The last time he was here, I was caught in traffic for an hour when they shut down one of the main thoroughfares so he could eat at another expensive venue, Alan Wong's. When they finally started letting the traffic through, what a joke. A dozen suburbans, police cars, two ambulances, federal law enforcement thugs with German shepherds coming up to your vehicle and giving you the stink eye.

Most folks don't realize it, but when they say "imperial presidency," this guy epitomizes it.

#2.2 Jim on 2016-12-30 13:08 (Reply)

vacation on Mars?

#2.2.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 13:25 (Reply)

QUOTE:

Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.

From our experience on this blog, that comment apparently also applies to many who are "inquiring, skeptical, and politically centrist".

#3 Zachriel on 2016-12-30 09:29 (Reply)

Who is this "our" that you refer to?
Just curious.

#3.1 Dale on 2016-12-30 09:34 (Reply)

OFF-TOPIC

A number of theories have been proposed concerning our use of nosism. If Zachriel were legion,

• commune of pedants
• group of poseurs
• ultimate expression of internet group think
• hive
• committee
• weird cult
• collective pseudonym like Bourbaki
• five guys
• collective
• tri-unity
• e pluribus unum
• imaginary playmates
• being of more than one mind
• royalty, pluralis majestatis
• the Z-team, a team of Zachriels
• schizophrenic
• cojoined twins
• because it annoys you
• editorial, pluralis modestiae
• someone with a tapeworm
• best friend is a pooka
• a bot that some programmers designed for random argument
• dissociative identity disorder
• a bizzare pseudo-world affectation
• gaggle of grad students
• Jovian clique
• nervous tick
• possessed by demons
• a group of concerned citizens
• Got a mouse in your pocket?
• 5-member purple-horned leprechaun gang that escaped • from the cosmic zoo
• fellow at a Darwin institute
• gang of Z
• elaborate avatar created by a theist to explore the worldview of materialism
• possessed by a demon with many heads

#3.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-12-30 09:42 (Reply)

Okay, this made me laugh. We might disagree on a good bit of things in life, but by and large y'all/you are good eggs. You're not nearly as obnoxious as many and I don't often see your people resorting to the ist/ism/phobe pejoratives normally relied upon by prog/libs when engaging in debate.

#3.1.1.1 BornSouthern on 2016-12-30 10:37 (Reply)

Don't make me regret this though.

#3.1.1.1.1 BornSouthern on 2016-12-30 10:40 (Reply)

you left off:

asshat
libtarded douche
clinton bootlicker
demoncrap shill
uneducated blowhard
preachy
weather fetishist
ignorant
worthless
islam apologist
deluded, mentally ill
election-Denialist
the reacharound collective
Constitution-hating anti-American

if we missed anything, we'll amend the list.

#3.1.1.2 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 11:42 (Reply)

if we missed anything, we'll amend the list.

Speaking of lists, I used Sum of All Knowledge just this week but I don't see it in the robot's master list. Of course, persona non grata because I elaborate on just how fallacious the thing is and because I refuse to engage it as such. You simply can't imagine my dejection at this oversight.

Probably its programmers have inserted a couple percent intentional omission in an attempt to feint imperfect human memory. Easy enough to do when ninety percent of its output hinges on flagrant omission in order to elicit replies anyway: Nothing bugs humans more than intellectual dishonesty and apparently the programmers know this.

#3.1.1.2.1 Ten on 2016-12-30 15:06 (Reply)

Sorry for the errors in that ^. I happen to actually be human, so...

Also missing is Z-Bot(s), which I always felt kinda covered a few bases. If you need me I'll be over here sobbing to myself. The pains you take to get noticed and then, nothing.

#3.1.1.2.1.1 Ten on 2016-12-30 15:11 (Reply)

Bzzt!! Those do not attempt to explain our use of nosism, as requested by Dale above.

#3.1.1.2.2 Zachriel on 2016-12-31 07:55 (Reply)

Your experience is certainly not unique, but you need to be reminded that it is not usual, and has a great deal to do with your method of discussion. You were treated better a year ago and two years ago, I think. The deterioration is everyone else's fault, of course.

I'll give you credit for perseverance.

#3.2 Assistaant Village Idiot (Link) on 2016-12-30 10:01 (Reply)

I used to give him/them/it the benefit of doubt, in part because of the avoidance of all-caps and the like. Years ago, however, I lost patience with the links that went nowhere and the relentless changing of the subject whenever that was point out. Life's too short to engage in discussions with people who can't or won't argue honestly. An argument should be about more than generating a bulletproof impression of righteousness. Who wants to burnish someone else's self-image?

#3.2.1 Texan99 on 2016-12-30 13:22 (Reply)

on the days he's here, half the posts are about him and as many have noted, he never debates, just preaches; posts bad links, clearly does not read material presented and rarely never shows any but a superficial, cut and paste understanding of anything.

there's no discussion, and any interaction is like pouring water on an oil fire and I need to stop this myself.

I like this place, it was a unique and a pleasant corner of the net, but this situation is getting tedious.

#3.2.1.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 14:44 (Reply)

My serious suggestion is that we just reply to all Z's posts with links to YouTube cute cat videos.

#3.2.1.1.1 Jim on 2016-12-30 17:22 (Reply)

QUOTE:

BBC Finally Admits Its Famous ‘Women Write Better Code’ Story Was Fake News

No. It wasn't fake news. Conflating poor reporting with fake news is how the right-wing is trying to dilute criticism.

#4 Zachriel on 2016-12-30 09:31 (Reply)

truthy.

its fake new, kids.

#4.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 12:11 (Reply)

QUOTE:

We can repeal ObamaCare and still protect the sick

High-risk pools have been notoriously underfunded. It also leaves the problem of those who are poor or lower-middle class, but can't afford insurance.

#5 Zachriel on 2016-12-30 09:35 (Reply)

Or Veterans. Or those dependent on Bureau of Indian Affairs Medical facilities.

#5.1 OldFert on 2016-12-30 11:48 (Reply)

QUOTE:

Yes John Kerry, if only this orange sliver was smaller there would be peace.

That's not a valid argument. When it is your "orange sliver", you will fight over it, even if that sliver is just forty acres and a mule.

QUOTE:

Note to John Kerry: you cannot "occupy" your own land.

And there's the heart of the problem from the Israeli side. Some Israelis consider the entire West Bank to be theirs, even though two million Palestinians live there.

#6 Zachriel on 2016-12-30 09:58 (Reply)

Some Indians consider all of New Mexico theirs, but we keep building houses there too.

The Israelis got duped at the end of the '73 War. Maybe they were just happy to emerge intact. They should have forced Jordan to take Gaza and Egypt the West Bank while they were standing on their throats. Any land they didn't take should have been annexed and the Arabs expelled.

The idea of Palestinian Arabs not having a homeland is absurd - it's called Jordan.

#6.1 NJSoldier on 2016-12-30 10:37 (Reply)

NJSoldier: Some Indians consider all of New Mexico theirs, but we keep building houses there too.

That's right. While the original acquisition was inherently unfair, to dislodge people who have spent recent generations on the land would also be unfair. Justice must be tempered with forgiveness.

In the case of the Palestinians, however, their occupation of the land dates to prehistory.

NJSoldier: Any land they didn't take should have been annexed and the Arabs expelled.

Sure, because ethnic cleansing solves all problems, and will surely lead to peace between Israel and her neighbors.

#6.1.1 Zachriel on 2016-12-31 09:49 (Reply)

Large portions of the West Bank are historically Jewish.
Almost all Palestinians consider the entire state of Israel to be theirs.

#6.2 mudbug on 2016-12-30 10:39 (Reply)

mudbug: Large portions of the West Bank are historically Jewish.

Large portions of Palestine, including the West Bank, are historically Palestinian, as well. Genetic data indicates that Jews and Palestinians share a common male ancestor in the late Neolithic.

mudbug: Almost all Palestinians consider the entire state of Israel to be theirs.

Until recently, most Palestinians supported a two-state solution. Meanwhile, many Israelis consider the West Bank to be part of Israel. There's a serious movement there to annex much of the West Bank.

#6.2.1 Zachriel on 2016-12-31 09:51 (Reply)

The Muslims in Israel have always been the problem. We could've had a 2-state option in the 40s, but guess who rejected that idea? Not the Jewish people:

http://archive.adl.org/israel/record/creation.html

#6.3 MissT on 2016-12-30 12:22 (Reply)

MissT: The Muslims in Israel have always been the problem. We could've had a 2-state option in the 40s, but guess who rejected that idea? Not the Jewish people:

Many Palestinians considered the Jews, mostly of European extract, to be just another European colonial power, like England or France.

#6.3.1 Zachriel on 2016-12-31 09:53 (Reply)

Prior to 1948, the landlords of the Palestinians were Turks, Lebanese, and Jordanians. The Palestinians themselves owned very little of it. The belief that they were even mildly prosperous folks on decent lands prior to the Jewish state is 90% false.

That is not an historical oddity, of course. Every family in the Balkans seems to have a slightly different map of what is "theirs," and the resentments and counterclaims go back centuries. Native American tribes before the arrival of Europeans seldom had a long presence on their land. (The Miqmaqs of Nova Scotia don't seem to have stolen any land from anyone, and good on them.) Few tribes in New Guinea are in the same spots they were 100 years ago.

#6.4 Assistaant Village Idiot (Link) on 2016-12-30 14:16 (Reply)

Assistaant Village Idiot: Few tribes in New Guinea are in the same spots they were 100 years ago.

Sure, but two world wars, and global communications, have changed the legal basis of conquest, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. See Nuremberg 1946.

#6.4.1 Zachriel on 2016-12-31 09:56 (Reply)

RE Obama under pressure to prove Russian interference in election

the FBI -DHS joint report was released yesterday.

#7 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 11:47 (Reply)

BBC Finally Admits Its Famous ‘Women Write Better Code’ Story Was Fake News

Odd how the majority of the "fake news" discussions I see relate to politics, where the plain facts of the matter are often secondary to the why and the how of the matter and therefore quite rightly subject to interpretation. (Exhibit A would be Bill Clinton's famous "It depends on what the definition of 'is' is". Are you lying when you tell your suspicious wife you're not having sex with the babysitter if you merely mean "Not right this second"?)

My idea of "fake news" that needs dealt with is just about any headline starting off with a "New Study Shows...." since that's not really how science is supposed to work. If it's something new, scientists put their research out there for double-checking on the assumption that if they've found something unexpected it's quite possible they made a mistake in the research somewhere and not that they've actually discovered something new. They're putting the news out there not as proof they've made a discovery but more as a "hey guys, I found something that looks weird. Can somebody else take a look at this and explain how I got this strange result?"

#8 Jerryskids on 2016-12-30 12:05 (Reply)

RE American Colleges Are Approaching a Constitutional Crisis

everyone here overestimates the effect of kollege on these little twerps. kollege is a time for experiment and rebellion, always has been. chicks experimenting with being lebanese, reefer madness, goofy politics, they do these things mostly because it gets a rise out of The Man, where The Man includes conservative forums like this.

most -- 99% -- of college is beer, football and chicks. you know this. you were there. in fact, I wouldn't trust anyone who didn't have a little rebellion in him or her, at that age.

let them have their little libtarded fantasies. life will bitchslap it out of them because there's nothing like the real world of 9-5 jobs, rent, insurance, car payments, then mortgage, working to the job not the clock, raising babies and and discovering that life is not a beer commercial and the people who don't give a rat's ass about identity politics are the ones who sign paychecks to cure this campus bullshit attitude.

#9 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 12:07 (Reply)

The slapping needs to be moved up.

#9.1 Sam L. on 2016-12-30 13:02 (Reply)

RE Many charities across the US giving up your money to the marketers they hire

I believe its important to give time and money to charity, because anyone, even a libtard, can write a check and I believe the biblical command to "feed the hungry" should be taken literally.

Catholic Worker out here is a subversive, off the books, under the radar, soup kitchen, serving while the police look the other way. it is staffed by unreformed liberals, and has included that nun who chained herself to an ICBM silo and served federal time. very cool. real social liberalism I deeply admire and a total antithesis to the bullshit zachriels of the world.

#10 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 12:22 (Reply)

The best test of a charity is to offer high level services, not cash. Don't offer to man the soup line, offer to use business expertise to make it more effective, etc.

Mostly you'll find they decline or impede, preferring your money which can be siphoned off into 6 digit salaries for directors and such.

If you solve "the problem" then they'll be out of a job.

Here's a good recent Econtalk podcast with a guy doing economic research in Africa. He paints a much different picture of Africa than the "starving Africa" meme the NGOs put on TV to scam donations. And what do people trying to develop jobs in Africa need most, middle managers, people who can organize enterprises to run efficiently.

#10.1 JK Brown on 2016-12-30 13:57 (Reply)

I've offered professional services on occasion. The most effective charity in my area is Catholic Charities which benefits from the best of the business minds here.

for me, I understand that living in a Christ-like manner (which we Catholics aspire to do) requires that kind response to Matt. 25:35 (Orange Catholic Bible) "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink".

there's no requirement that I do the most efficient thing, just that I do that particular thing.

just speaking for myself, personally.

#10.1.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 14:34 (Reply)

Re: Charities --- No organization gets more out of a dollar than the Salvation Army. The SA fights in the trenches, in hand-to-hand combat against poverty, ignorance, and hopelessness.

#11 Deborah HH on 2016-12-30 13:04 (Reply)

American Colleges Are Approaching a Constitutional Crisis

Sue them out of existence. No college, public or private, has any right to make determinations on sexual assault, which is a crime.

If they want, they can make determinations and issue bans based on student violation of university policies.

If it is sexual assault or appears to be, it is a criminal matter. Separately the university can determine if the student violated university policy but they cannot make a determination regarding sexual assault. But, of course, if they applied the university regulations, they would have a constitutional issue for not applying them equally to males and females. So they obfuscate by trying to create "ecclesiastical" courts based on their Leftist religion. The United States never permitted the abomination of ecclesiastical courts and should not start now.

#12 JK Brown on 2016-12-30 14:05 (Reply)

they can and actually have to, under Title XI. 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/qa-201404-title-ix.pdf

#12.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-30 14:50 (Reply)

Title IX is discrimination pure and simple. Sue the colleges, defund them, legislate against them, stop subsidizing them, break them.

#12.1.1 OldSoul on 2016-12-30 17:49 (Reply)

This atmosphere has aggressively been promoted by the Obama "Justice" Department. Colleges and universities have been under an "in terrorem" effect now for 8 years which mandates them to interpret to the max the Obama administration's mandates on race, gender, sexual orientation, transgender, etc., no matter how irrational or absurd they may seem. Failure to do so exposes them to sanctions, fines, penalties, and loss of federal funds.

#12.2 Jim on 2016-12-30 15:28 (Reply)

Re: Charities. The problem of inefficient fundraising has been around forever. As a tax professional, my #1 bit of advice is to look up your charity on guidestar.org before giving them anything. That site has the Form 990 (annual financial report) of every non-profit in the US, along with a rating of how much of their funding goes through to their programs. (The only catch here is that some non-profits -- for example, AAA -- are not about helping the poor, so for them the rating will not be useful.)

Second, beware of charities with very common names! There are veterans' associations and Police Athletic Leagues everywhere, and some of them (even if genuine charities) are not registered, so you can't deduct contributions to them. There are plenty of phonies, too.

#13 jdgalt on 2016-12-30 15:36 (Reply)

heed this advice, especially with regards to veterans charities.

#13.1 Will Bithers on 2016-12-31 00:47 (Reply)

Linked headline:
"Soros: Trump is a “Would Be Dictator” Who Threatens the New World Order"

Oh, suure he is.
OTOH, Soros really is an almost Dictator, but he threatens all world order, doesn't he?

#14 Nunnya Bidnez, jr on 2017-01-01 12:00 (Reply)

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Friday, December 30. 2016

Friday morning links