Scarabus
Crawling toward the sunlight
Newt’s racism has a long pedigree in the Republican Party
January 26th, 2012How Fracking Works
January 26th, 2012Warning! Based on a sexual analogy and includes naughty jargon.
Shouldn’t there be a better system?
January 24th, 2012What you see below is a small fraction of the electronic power adapters I’ve accumulated since the 1960s. Obviously this accumulation could be matched by countless others. You know, the original device for which it was intended is broken or obsolete, but the transformer is still perfectly functional. For many of us it just doesn’t seem right to throw the damned thing away. So some questions. Serious questions, not snark. Let me know in a comment if you have any answers. The answer to most of the questions involves corporate profitability, of course. Which involves short term vs. long term return on investment, proprietary design, etc. But how specifically has that evolved?
- Why have the types with a round plug been made sometimes with the positive contact on the inside, sometimes on the outside?
- Why do we continue to see so many variations in output — both voltage and amperage? Well, yes. Because the devices being powered have those variations in input requirements. So put the question that way if you wish: Why so many variations in input requirements?
- Given those variations, why hasn’t there been a bigger market for multi-output, multi-plug devices?
- Why have the devices been manufactured in such a way as to make it a real chore in most cases to read the specifications of those devices? Notice in the photo that the Iomega adapter has the info printed in black against a white background. Cool! But note just to the lower left of the Iomega adapter there’s another to which I’ve attached my own label. Why? Because that one, like most, provides information in embossed text in black plastic. Good eyes? Magnifying glass? Sufficient light, accessible from the right angle? You can read it. Otherwise you’re screwed.
- What about an exchange where adapters could easily be “re-purposed”?
- What is the most desirable way to dispose of or recycle adapters? Do the jobs stay in the U.S.? Do they go to Asia, where children poison themselves and their environment while extracting precious metals?
A lot of problems here, obviously. What about opportunities?
These Modern Girls…
January 24th, 2012
Adolph Hitler reacts to contemporary assaults on Americans’ rights and civil liberties
January 22nd, 2012Unexpected result of overexposure to toxic santorum from the Right Wing closet
January 22nd, 2012Last week we found that a group of miniature Village People had taken up residence in the retaining wall next to our sidewalk. The first clue was the very faint sound of YMCA drifting toward the front porch. Having followed the singing, we were stunned to discover both the miniaturization of the musicians and dancers, and the destructiveness of their behavior. Scientists at the local university have speculated that the phenomenon may have been caused by overexposure to the dangerously virulent stream of santorum flooding continously from the mouths of Republican presidential candidates and their nameless, faceless, slime ball PACs. If so, the nation could be in serious trouble. November 2012 is a long way off!
We have a photo of one of the miniature demonized performers here, thanks to the famous underground photographer who signs his work “Dung Beetle.” (It’s said he uses that pseudonym to remind us of the ever-expanding mound of shit being piled on our heads by conservatives.)
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For those who are interested in digital art, this is based on a photo I took of a broken section of the retaining wall between our yard and the public sidewalk. The “Village Person” is a model posing for a stock photograph. I did the basic compositing in Photoshop, applied an Alien Skin Snap Art filter, and ended by adding a frame and resizing the image using filters from OnOne.
An invitation to support women’s rights from People for the American Way
January 22nd, 2012
Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, women’s reproductive freedom and health are still under attack.
The Tea Party Congress has moved aggressively to shut down women’s access to reproductive health care and deny women the basic right to choose by targeting their health insurance and key healthcare providers, most notably, Planned Parenthood. In the states, a movement is afoot to make abortions illegal by conferring the status of “personhood” on embryos, and various state legislatures have taken up bills that would erect insurmountable barriers to women exercising their right to choose.
People For the American Way is proud to be partnering with the Silver Ribbon Campaign and an extremely broad coalition of organizations to promote the Virtual March celebrating Trust Women Week.
It is imperative that we begin 2012 with a powerful event that builds solidarity and momentum for reproductive health, rights and justice.
Join the Virtual March now and send your views to Congress and other elected officials where key decisions are pending about reproductive health, rights and justice.
You’ll see your actions on an online map where you can also see who else is joining you, nearby and nationwide.
Choose from messages like:
- “I trust women and I vote
- ”“Reproductive rights are human rights”
- “We are the 99%. Fix the economy, and stop the war on women”
- And more.Join the march now and then help spread the word!
You can find out more about Trust Women Week at http://oursilverribbon.org.
Thank you for standing up for women’s rights and against right-wing attacks on reproductive freedom.
– Jen Herrick, Senior Policy Analyst
“Read my finger!” say the banksters.
January 22nd, 2012The excerpt below is from a NYT article describing a self-indulgent party a Wall Street fraternity of good ’ol (mostly) boys throw for one another each year. The cartoon that follows indicates how I feel about the party, its attendees, and their ilk. Read the excerpt and then the entire article and see whether you agree.
January 20, 2012, 9:52 pm
A Raucous Hazing at a Wall St. Fraternity
By KEVIN ROOSE
….
Kappa Beta Phi, an exclusive Wall Street fraternity whose members include big-name bankers, hedge fund billionaires and private equity titans, met at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan on Thursday night for its 80th annual black-tie dinner and induction ceremony.
As always, the event was held in strict secrecy, with members being told that “what happens at the St. Regis stays at the St. Regis.”
A reporter, however, was able to walk in unquestioned and observe the proceedings.
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The night’s agenda was twofold: install officers for the coming year and haze incoming members by having them don wigs, gold-sequined skirts and skin-tight tops and put on a comedic variety show for the enjoyment of other members.….
Kappa Beta Phi, which started in 1929 as a group of Wall Street bigwigs whose social club was named as a send-up of Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society, has become a sort of upper-crust Friar’s Club roast.
The group’s leadership consists of a “Grand Swipe,” “Grand Smudge,” “Grand Loaf,” and a “Master-at-Arms.”Some members wear the group’s insignia, which consists of a beer stein, a Champagne glass, a pointing hand and five stars. The group’s Latin motto, “Dum vivamus edimus et biberimus,” roughly translates as “While we live, we eat and drink.”
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The bulk of the entertainment came in the form of musical spoofs.
Inductees sang Wall Street-themed versions of “Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” (replacing “cowboys” with “traders”) and Abba’s “Dancing Queen” (which was retitled “Bailout King”). Mr. Lasry, along with two other inductees, dressed as a member of the Village People for a financial rendition of “Y.M.C.A.” Mr. Lasry declined to comment.
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While they may not want to attract attention publicly, the members of Kappa Beta Phi are privately finding humor in their vilification. As the night’s musical finale, the entire group of inductees changed into white dress shirts and dark ties to sing a parody of “I Believe,” a song from the hit Broadway show “The Book of Mormon.”
In the original version of the song, a down-and-out Mormon missionary offers a passionate defense of his faith. On this night, though, the financiers turned it into a playful paean to their industry. (“I believe that the Lord God created Wall Street. I believe he got his only son a job at Goldman Sachs.”)
Off-key and raucous, the financiers raised their voices once more.“I work on Wall Street. And Wall Street just believes.”
Note that, though the wording is 100% accurate, I may inadvertently have altered some italics or other stylesheet features. I’ll check that tomorrow and make necessary corrections.
Food for the dirty minded (pun intended)
January 20th, 2012
Glass Door Self-Portrait 2
January 20th, 2012