Hurricane Isaac
Still alive. No commercial power but still around.
Some DNA test results came back today
Apparently only 93% of my genetic ancestry is European. The other is not European. So I guess I can now claim minority status.
By my reckoning that would make the non-european ancestor my great-great grandparent or great-great-great grandparent. The split would put it around the mid-late 1800s. My family tree has a few gaps in it so it's a good possibility it's an accurate test.
I'm now officially minority enough to run for Massachusetts elected office.
By my reckoning that would make the non-european ancestor my great-great grandparent or great-great-great grandparent. The split would put it around the mid-late 1800s. My family tree has a few gaps in it so it's a good possibility it's an accurate test.
I'm now officially minority enough to run for Massachusetts elected office.
To those who fight the system...
Have you ever tried using the damn thing?
I've been locked in a battle for a while. Amazingly enough if you know what you're doing, plan, and act reasonably, you can win.
Go on and chain yourself to doors or make a ruckus... and then promptly lose the fight. Congrats on AW and not winning.
So far, securing the bulk of the assets from those who attempted to swindle. Up next, evidence consolidation and filing of charges.
Fun.
I've been locked in a battle for a while. Amazingly enough if you know what you're doing, plan, and act reasonably, you can win.
Go on and chain yourself to doors or make a ruckus... and then promptly lose the fight. Congrats on AW and not winning.
So far, securing the bulk of the assets from those who attempted to swindle. Up next, evidence consolidation and filing of charges.
Fun.
The Once Unthinkable in Louisiana
Louisiana Democrats field no major candidates for statewide office
Ever since Reconstruction the DNC has ALWAYS counted on winning all the major offices here or at least holding most of them while an odd Republican won one for a term or two. Just as short as 2-3 elections ago, the Dems had every statewide office.
Now they didn't even field a candidate for major statewide office.
The Democrat machine always worked in Louisiana in a very simple and wonderfully effective way. Local sheriffs, mayors, and parish presidents would "bull whip" the local voters to support the top offices. You'd focus your campaigns on electing those offices and once they were in they'd do the heavy lifting to support state and federal elections. But over the past 10-20 years there's been a breakdown in local elections where Republicans started picking up steam. In 1994 when the Republicans steamrolled the DNC in the federal elections we saw huge shifts in voter registrations but still the registered Dems outnumbered the Republicans by a long shot. But even recently after 2006 when the pendulum swung back the other way we still saw Democrats of note switching to Republican. As recently as last year Democrats had the majority in the Statehouse. Now Republicans have a several member lead. At this point it's "me-too-ism" kicking in and representatives are switching to keep from being the minority party.
No doubt a lot of this is due to the demographic shift after Katrina where upwards of 100,000 voters left the state to go to Texas but even before then the farm system for up and coming Democrats started to sputter and fade. Katrina just put a knife right into the heart of the La Democratic Party.
The stroke of 5 p.m. Thursday marked a dark moment in the history of the Louisiana Democratic Party. For the first time in modern memory, the party did not field a single major candidate for statewide office.
Ever since Reconstruction the DNC has ALWAYS counted on winning all the major offices here or at least holding most of them while an odd Republican won one for a term or two. Just as short as 2-3 elections ago, the Dems had every statewide office.
Now they didn't even field a candidate for major statewide office.
The Democrat machine always worked in Louisiana in a very simple and wonderfully effective way. Local sheriffs, mayors, and parish presidents would "bull whip" the local voters to support the top offices. You'd focus your campaigns on electing those offices and once they were in they'd do the heavy lifting to support state and federal elections. But over the past 10-20 years there's been a breakdown in local elections where Republicans started picking up steam. In 1994 when the Republicans steamrolled the DNC in the federal elections we saw huge shifts in voter registrations but still the registered Dems outnumbered the Republicans by a long shot. But even recently after 2006 when the pendulum swung back the other way we still saw Democrats of note switching to Republican. As recently as last year Democrats had the majority in the Statehouse. Now Republicans have a several member lead. At this point it's "me-too-ism" kicking in and representatives are switching to keep from being the minority party.
No doubt a lot of this is due to the demographic shift after Katrina where upwards of 100,000 voters left the state to go to Texas but even before then the farm system for up and coming Democrats started to sputter and fade. Katrina just put a knife right into the heart of the La Democratic Party.
Advice
If you've got any outstanding debt (property) please... please get life insurance that covers the cost in total of the property.
It's the last thing you want to have your relatives deal with if you pass unexpectedly.
It's the last thing you want to have your relatives deal with if you pass unexpectedly.
(no subject)
God help me, I had no idea the drama communities on LJ were populated primarily by crazy people who form them for support in enabling their mental disorder.
Despite what they may believe, being a woman doesn't exclude them from being incredibly stupid. Nor does it mean that anyone pointing out their stupidity does so because they're women. God, I tried to talk respectfully with them but after an nearly every one I started out with in a respectful tone pulling the victim card and berating me I'm done.
I'm not going to try and talk to someone whose sole defense is that they're right because they're a woman and I'm wrong because I'm a man. I never attacked them personally or talked down to them because of their gender but at every turn that's all that they could muster. Each one, I started off courteously but all I got was flak and then anger when I returned hostility with hostility.
Despite what they may believe, being a woman doesn't exclude them from being incredibly stupid. Nor does it mean that anyone pointing out their stupidity does so because they're women. God, I tried to talk respectfully with them but after an nearly every one I started out with in a respectful tone pulling the victim card and berating me I'm done.
I'm not going to try and talk to someone whose sole defense is that they're right because they're a woman and I'm wrong because I'm a man. I never attacked them personally or talked down to them because of their gender but at every turn that's all that they could muster. Each one, I started off courteously but all I got was flak and then anger when I returned hostility with hostility.
A necropsy of the Anthony Weiner scandal... a preview
I want so badly to write an extensive analysis of the scandal and all the flaws that occurred in it's handling and debate. Unfortunately the whole issue is overexposed so any discussion of it will just be wank at this point. I figure a week ought to help things cool down and allow for people to be more accepting of yet another discussion on it.
Mainly I think that the scandal really should be analyzed thoroughly because he made many blunders... BUT the biggest blunders were in people's analysis of the data and sourcing support. If you look at where errors were made I think that we could learn a lot about judging evidence and coming to conclusions in regards to other events.
Though I have dim hope humanity can learn anything at large, I hope it brightens a few minds at least.
As an aside, you gotta admit though that it's only fitting Weiner falls from grace by denying something bad only to admit to it later considering that's exactly how he won his first race (he denied a negative attack flyer only to admit after the election that is was his).
Mainly I think that the scandal really should be analyzed thoroughly because he made many blunders... BUT the biggest blunders were in people's analysis of the data and sourcing support. If you look at where errors were made I think that we could learn a lot about judging evidence and coming to conclusions in regards to other events.
Though I have dim hope humanity can learn anything at large, I hope it brightens a few minds at least.
As an aside, you gotta admit though that it's only fitting Weiner falls from grace by denying something bad only to admit to it later considering that's exactly how he won his first race (he denied a negative attack flyer only to admit after the election that is was his).
Well... it was inevitable
After several days of acting up, my computer has bit the dust.
It lasted a good 4 years. Now I have to spend a few hundred on updating the motherboard and processor to the spiffy i7 based stuff.
Eventually I'll need Windows 7 64 bit to really take advantage of the memory.
It lasted a good 4 years. Now I have to spend a few hundred on updating the motherboard and processor to the spiffy i7 based stuff.
Eventually I'll need Windows 7 64 bit to really take advantage of the memory.
Whaaaaaa?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabri…
Why have I never heard of this film before? Why?
A movie made as FDR propaganda that has the president being a totalitarian guided by God and no one told me about it?
Why have I never heard of this film before? Why?
A movie made as FDR propaganda that has the president being a totalitarian guided by God and no one told me about it?
The Giffords Shooting
I leave the country on the day of the shooting and I come back to people going utterly insane about nuances and assertions based upon them.
And I thought the people selling Cuban cigars in Nassau were annoying.
And I thought the people selling Cuban cigars in Nassau were annoying.