G+ Migration Blog

You know that book from the 80's about how real men don't eat quiche was a joke, right? This, though, is not. Idiot quote of the week award goes to: "And no one has shown how our following patriarchy has hurt society." No, it's been all sunshine and roses until now. http://www.npr.org/2017/02/28/517720434/billboard-about-gender-roles-sparks-debate-protest-in-north-carolina http://www.npr.org/2017/02/28/517720434/billboard-about-gender-roles-sparks-debate-protest-in-north-carolina

Good for them. http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/28/politics/democratic-women-wear-white-donald-trump-speech/ http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/28/politics/democratic-women-wear-white-donald-trump-speech/

This is disgusting. I just feel like all the people who keep insisting that oh, that's all Mad Men stuff, that never happens anymore need to get over it and listen when people tell you this stuff goes on. Maybe between this and the stuff about Uber being made public, maybe enough people will finally listen that this will actually be made to change. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/hundreds-allege-sex-harassment-discrimination-at-kay-and-jared-jewelry-company/2017/02/27/8dcc9574-f6b7-11e6-bf01-d47f8cf9b643_story.html?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_3_na&utm_term=.1c3d38c00d2d https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/hundreds-allege-sex-harassment-discrimination-at-kay-and-jared-jewelry-company/2017/02/27/8dcc9574-f6b7-11e6-bf01-d47f8cf9b643_story.html?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_3_na&utm_term=.1c3d38c00d2d

It may be unreliable, but it's still eye opening to read. http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/05/health/hate-crimes-tracking-history-fbi/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/05/health/hate-crimes-tracking-history-fbi/index.html

#cutecritterprotocol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV6oYCLjCbQ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1419761/Adorable-shepherd-dog-Lola-sings-owner-during.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV6oYCLjCbQ

I think the second link is really the only response to the first. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2017/02/28/thunderous-meteor-rattles-texas-sky-rare-sonic-boom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z40AsPaktzw http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2017/02/28/thunderous-meteor-rattles-texas-sky-rare-sonic-boom

Oh Wow My God Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Mike Drop. Historically black colleges and universities “are real pioneers when it comes to school choice,” the statement continued. “They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality. Their success has shown that more options help students flourish.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/us/politics/betsy-devos-historically-black-colleges-statement.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/us/politics/betsy-devos-historically-black-colleges-statement.html

Well, I guess that answers who gets responsibility/blame if our military isn't all win all the time. http://nypost.com/2017/02/28/trump-blames-military-for-botched-raid-that-killed-seal/ http://nypost.com/2017/02/28/trump-blames-military-for-botched-raid-that-killed-seal/

What's that thing about America sneezes, the world gets a cold? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/world/asia/cambodia-trump-press-freedom.html?_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/world/asia/cambodia-trump-press-freedom.html?_r=0

I love how when the Tea Party was doing this stuff, it was a grassroots effort. Now that someone might be effectively opposing them it's paid rabble-rousers.

Ok, I'm trying again because google decided to edit my post without my input. Then it wouldn't let me delete what it decided to post. Whatever. This gentleman is Jewish, and his family was kicked out of Egypt in the 50's for that reason. He's a French citizen, on a French passport. Egypt wasn't ever on the banned countries list. Bull the officer was inexperienced. (The WaPo article has much more info.) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/french-historian-henry-rousso-us-immigration-deportation-10-hours-detention-holocaust-expert-a7601786.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/26/u-s-detains-and-nearly-deports-french-jewish-historian/?utm_term=.8828e9de7ef8 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/french-historian-henry-rousso-us-immigration-deportation-10-hours-detention-holocaust-expert-a7601786.html

Today's #cutecritterprotocol Hi, Ayla Hurley!

Ok? http://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-w-bush-says-we-all-need-answers-on-trump-team-russia-connection/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-w-bush-says-we-all-need-answers-on-trump-team-russia-connection/

Sadly unsurprised. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/yemen-seal-raid-yielded-no-significant-intelligence-say-officials-n726451 http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/yemen-seal-raid-yielded-no-significant-intelligence-say-officials-n726451

Ah, it seems we are going for the time honored dictatorship approach of creating jobs by all the money goes to the military industrial complex. As an aside, who's he going to blame when the military isn't all win all the time? Because that's not how that works, even in a "good" war (relates to comments in the video). http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/trump-budget-proposal/ http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/politics/trump-budget-proposal/

Orchard Park is affluent and white. Pasty white. Like, 97%+ officially, eugenically white . They have about 22 churches, 4 of which are Catholic, and no synagogues, mosques, or Hindu or Buddhist temples. If you're a white supremacist, you are vandalizing the people of whom you claim to be one. I do not understand people, at all. P.S. This will not bring those steel and auto jobs back. https://buffalonews.com/2017/02/25/vandals-target-orchard-park-nazi-racist-graffiti/ https://buffalonews.com/2017/02/25/vandals-target-orchard-park-nazi-racist-graffiti/

I want a cookie. I don't need a cookie, I just want a cookie. That is all.

The birds seem terribly confused about the fact that it's below freezing. They are all out chirruping away.

I don't know about Canon Law, or Catholic theology on mercy as a doctrine, but this is not a place anybody is likely to praise you for being merciful. Zero tolerance is the least that should happen to these people. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-quietly-trims-sanctions-sex-abusers-seeking-mercy-45732198 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-quietly-trims-sanctions-sex-abusers-seeking-mercy-45732198

I have no words. Trigger warnings about institutionalized child abuse . I thought residential schools were bad when I heard about them. I can't even begin to wrap my head around the idea that children were shipped around the world because, what, they were inconvenient? And that people knew they were mistreated and didn't stop it. I absolutely cannot even begin to comprehend this. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39078652 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39078652

I give up. They said he couldn't come, then he could, now he can't. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-white-helmets-cinematographer-barred-us-oscars-ap-reports/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-white-helmets-cinematographer-barred-us-oscars-ap-reports/

Also apologizing to France and Paris for the next four years. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39090784 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39090784

I am sorry, Sweden. For the next four years, I am continuously and repeatedly sorry. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/25/who-is-nils-bildt-swedish-national-security-advisor-interviewed-by-fox-news-is-a-mystery-to-swedes/?utm_term=.45f31716ed8e https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/25/who-is-nils-bildt-swedish-national-security-advisor-interviewed-by-fox-news-is-a-mystery-to-swedes/?utm_term=.45f31716ed8e

Leigh Butler Hoping everyone is ok and was not at the parade tonight.

I'd just like to ask first whether you note any difference in the two headlines, one purporting to be reporting on the other. Evidence for Cognitive Aging in Midlife Women: Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation For women, cognitive decline starts in middle age Also, Alzheimer's is never mentioned in the paper. It is in the title of one of the references about cognitive testing [Use of brief cognitive tests to identify individuals in the community with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease.] The AMA staff writer mentions it 5 times and to an average reader, it certainly sounds like he is connecting the paper with Alzheimer's. I really have to wonder how and why that leap was made, and how much even poorer reporting is going to hit the national media. Presumably, the media staff at the AMA is professional communications people, not doctors and scientists, but they don't seem to get reviewed or edited by any doctors or scientists. That second title, the one in the A...

And we'll end the cute critter report with some sharks. Oos a cute widdew pwedator? #cutecritterprotocol http://www.theloop.ca/10-times-sharks-were-more-cute-than-terrifying/ http://www.theloop.ca/10-times-sharks-were-more-cute-than-terrifying/

Diego the calf is just fine, thanks. He's probably going to live a better life than most of us. http://www.unionleader.com/article/20170224/NEWS01/170229592/-1/mobile?template=mobileart http://www.unionleader.com/article/20170224/NEWS01/170229592/-1/mobile?template=mobileart

Moar fun with critters! http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/22/516661301/behold-4-new-species-of-tiny-frogs-smaller-than-a-fingernail http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/22/516661301/behold-4-new-species-of-tiny-frogs-smaller-than-a-fingernail

Critter Updates: April the giraffe appears still to be pregnant. Clearly, predicting giraffe labor is not an exact science. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyr5jD4uxOs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyr5jD4uxOs

Great. I don't know anything specifically about VX, but if the info in the article is accurate, it's probably an organophosphate. Like a pesticide, only much, much worse. It works by stopping the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter, after the body doesn't need the ACh anymore. Atropine blocks the action of ACh at the receptors, which helps counter the effects of the accumulated ACh. If VX is one of the particularly nasty ones, which it seems to be, it chemically changes the enzyme that would have gotten rid of the ACh so you also need administration of pralidoxime because it can chemically reactivate some of the enzyme, if you are given it quickly enough. Otherwise chemistry happens and it won't work. Not a nice way to go. And people are just casually walking around with this stuff. Thrillsville. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/north-korea-s-kim-jong-nam-killed-vx-most-toxic-n725131 http://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/north-korea-...

Water cooler chat could either become super awkward or super interesting. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39077181 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39077181

Great, it's everywhere. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39076751 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39076751

I couldn't get to the full text research papers whose coverage is turning this into a full fledged fad diet, if you can afford it and have a doctor who is willing to supervise you taking it. However, I found this article, which has a lot of background info on the science and research that led to one of the lead researchers at USC deciding to invent and market this diet. https://newrepublic.com/article/132604/experimental-diet-mimics-rare-genetic-mutation https://newrepublic.com/article/132604/experimental-diet-mimics-rare-genetic-mutation

So it was a trick, which is still brilliant. Picked this particular link, though, because the "legit" attendee's comments are unreal. "He was dressed like any one of us," "Someone tried to victimize me," Dever said. "You have Secret Service out here, and I'd expect it to be fully screened. ... Thank God someone noticed." Ok, seriously? Do you really expect all people who are not your people to look like a cross between a refugee from the 60's, a Grateful Dead/Phish concert, and a retro Grunge fashion don't? Sorry. Some preppies don't walk that way. Meanwhile, you were "victimized"?!? Like, it's a crime to hand out Russian flags? What would the Secret Service have been screening for? Do you actually know what the Secret Service does? Now, if someone had thrown one of the flags at the president, that's different. I'm not a big practical joke fan, but this is mild and harmless. Sure you're embarrassed, ...

Women are such a problem. http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cool-lady-jane-franklin-polar-exploration http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cool-lady-jane-franklin-polar-exploration

Fossil Fuels: More Addictive and Deadly than Narcotics 'Massive, easy power fuels a lazy society' and it's killing us I'm not even gonna link to the article, but the headline is not click-bait. It is an accurate reflection of the paragraphs that follow after. It should be the Onion, but it definitely is not. Since I'm just mocking it, I have also redacted the name of the author. He is probably basing his rant on some actual science, frex a lot of our manufactured foods are based on organic chemistry, i.e., petrochemicals. Otoh, I'd just like to throw out one of my favorite rebuttals to all petrochemicals are bad - DEET. That's right. One of the very few things that has been shown to be an effective insect repellent for those nasty critters that are responsible for spreading a rather large percentage of the deadly and disabling illness in the world. Where you might literally be able to make the case that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If it ...

Ion, it's being discussed that this will be one of the areas where most or all of the Macy's and JCPenney stores are closing. This is one of those things that you don't think about until you realize that it doesn't affect people with money even remotely as much as it affects people with very little of it. Fun with socio-economics.

Thunderstorms? Small chance of hail or tornadoes? In February ?!?

Giraffe Cam back up, as noted. Do not even want to think about having a 15 month pregnancy. That's just brutal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXWq40F5Hk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXWq40F5Hk

Offs. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/giraffe-birth-live-stream-briefly-removed-from-youtube-for-nudity-and-sexual-content/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/giraffe-birth-live-stream-briefly-removed-from-youtube-for-nudity-and-sexual-content/

Oh, boy. Only subscribers can read the WSJ, so not linking to that, but here's enough info to start with. #thankstrump http://www.thelocal.se/20170223/minister-morgan-johansson-blasts-sweden-democrats-wall-street-journal-op-ed-theyre-lying-about-sweden http://www.thelocal.se/20170223/minister-morgan-johansson-blasts-sweden-democrats-wall-street-journal-op-ed-theyre-lying-about-sweden

Omg, they have loganberry liqueur you guys! http://makezine.com/2017/02/21/javascript-helped-create-highest-rated-spirit-north-america/ http://makezine.com/2017/02/21/javascript-helped-create-highest-rated-spirit-north-america/

SO CUTE. #cuteanimalprotocol https://www.facebook.com/yankeefarmersmarket/videos/10154411032327055/ https://www.facebook.com/yankeefarmersmarket/videos/10154411032327055/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-indiana-governor-pence-failed-to-stop-syrian-refugees-his-administration-is-trying-again/2017/02/22/7943b520-ee19-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html?tid=test_hp_curation&utm_term=.56a143e8ba71 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-indiana-governor-pence-failed-to-stop-syrian-refugees-his-administration-is-trying-again/2017/02/22/7943b520-ee19-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html?tid=test_hp_curation&utm_term=.56a143e8ba71

I keep thinking they're going to find beer on one of the new planets. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/02/22/heres-what-you-should-know-about-the-new-trappist-1-solar-system/?utm_term=.3ad1a563226b https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/02/22/heres-what-you-should-know-about-the-new-trappist-1-solar-system/?utm_term=.3ad1a563226b

Geez. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/somali-leaders-asylum-seekers-warning-1.3983671 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/somali-leaders-asylum-seekers-warning-1.3983671

Lol? http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-february-22-2017-1.3992510/hate-the-gym-history-explains-why-the-treadmill-can-feel-like-torture-1.3992573 http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-february-22-2017-1.3992510/hate-the-gym-history-explains-why-the-treadmill-can-feel-like-torture-1.3992573

Sigh. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/arlington/2017/02/22/arlington-preschool-teacher-fired-kill-jews-tweet-anti-semitic-posts http://www.dallasnews.com/news/arlington/2017/02/22/arlington-preschool-teacher-fired-kill-jews-tweet-anti-semitic-posts

tl;dr What is wrong with CNN? Thank you, MSNBC. Augh. What is CNN's problem? Can they not find anyone more reasonable and sensible to represent a conservative viewpoint than Kayleigh McEnany? I'd have added qualified to that list, but she's actually qualified, at least on paper and by experience. It's just that she's reactionary, rhetorically incapable, and doesn't hear anything anyone else says. This is not sticking to talking points, this is actively refusing to hear anyone else's arguments. She does the same thing that the one example I mentioned from that article about Trump supporters did. You know, the one that said something like "immigrants don't always ...", which absolutely means you are saying that immigrants do do whatever, but you know a couple good ones or some such. Whoever one of the journalist types was who was on countered her one talking point by giving statistics on rates of felony crime among legal immigrants, and did she ...

The google doodle is too cute!

I mean. it's not lol at all, but otherwise this would absolutely be #lolvancouver. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-drug-users-take-to-streets-in-national-day-of-action-1.3993397 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-drug-users-take-to-streets-in-national-day-of-action-1.3993397

Forget this. You want to know one of the places health care costs increase? Middle persons. Like the companies that find it so profitable to be a go-between amongst drug manufacturers and insurance companies, employers, health plans, the government - the pharmacy benefit managers. No company exists or gets that big without making money. Which means money is coming out of patients' pockets and going into a lot of other pockets besides just the pharmacy where they get the medicine, and the manufacturer who made the medicine. In this case, the free market is not making the drugs more available, adding to the funds for R&D for new or better drugs, and it is certainly not bringing prices down. If you've got a solution other than regulation and shutting all the pbms and just having the government negotiate the prices, it better be a good one. Insulin has been around for a very long time. We've been able to synthesize insulin for a long time. What exactly has happened since 20...

Speaking of epigenetics. http://www.nature.com/news/an-epigenetics-gold-rush-new-controls-for-gene-expression-1.21513?WT.mc_id=SFB_NNEWS_1508_RHBox http://www.nature.com/news/an-epigenetics-gold-rush-new-controls-for-gene-expression-1.21513?WT.mc_id=SFB_NNEWS_1508_RHBox

In case Canada isn't far enough. http://www.nature.com/news/these-seven-alien-worlds-could-help-explain-how-planets-form-1.21512 http://www.nature.com/news/these-seven-alien-worlds-could-help-explain-how-planets-form-1.21512

Ever feel like living your life is like watching a slow motion train wreck?

That's interesting. Linda Sarsour is big with BDS. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39049102 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39049102

What. The. Hell. * soapbox warning * Maternity services should be optional?!? Cthulu fhtagn. I did the ever-popular high-level research of looking this particular thing up online and OMG. The misogyny, chauvinism, bigotry, prejudice, ignorance, stupidity, hypocrisy - almost entirely from the rightward leaning half of the political disorder spectrum - that informs this garbage is disgusting. I will address but one of these in specific. Why should men pay for maternity coverage? Because until science advances a very long way, you still need one to get pregnant. So yes, they should have to pay for the medical coverage that cares for the pregnancy and the pregnant person. Because in spite of the fact they would seemingly like to claim otherwise, men as well as women in society in general benefit from having other healthy, functional human beings around. Once again, science has not yet advanced to the place where all humans can be replaced by robots. Including the ones who didn't want ...

A name that will live in infamy. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/trump-news-media-ignore.html?_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/technology/trump-news-media-ignore.html?_r=0

I did not know this about Chuck Lorre and his shows. You can find all of the vanity cards he has used at a website (so it says). This seems to be the most recent, from Feb 16. ROFLMAO. (And yes, the golden temple is highly probably a reference to Trump.) http://www.chucklorre.com/index.php CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #552 The Prophet by Chuck Gibran And then a man stepped from the group of villagers and asked the Prophet, “In these troubled times, what should we be most wary of?” The Prophet said, “Beware the opportune tragedy. The Reichstag. The Gulf of Tonkin. The Archduke. For this will surely portend the end of your freedom, as well as the Bill Maher show. Now that I think of it, Oliver and Bee are also toast.” Then a young woman approached the Prophet. She looked up at his not-half-bad-looking-for-a-man-his-age face and asked, “Why do men seek to possess and control my body?” To this the Prophet said, “Men covet the divine. And what is more transcendent than the power to create life....

- locked - Another episode of Life in the Reality Show Dysfunction House: There's a local family owned hot dog chain. You know, it's a thing, as those things are. Anyway, my mother tells my dad and I that she has been told in honor of their 90th anniversary, they are having a 90 cent hot dog day today, and would we like to go. I said sure, my dad was tired last night when she brought it up and said he probably wouldn't want to stand in the very long line. My mom said when she got back from things she had to do this morning, she and I would go. Fast forward to today. My dad has already gone and returned from grocery shopping, I'm up and doing stuff, my mom hasn't even left to do any of her errands. My dad says, you know what? I'm feeling ok, the weather is nice, I'd like to join you guys when you get hot dogs. She goes into a big, long repeat of all the reasons why this doesn't work, followed by the segue into here's how I am going to show everyone th...

- locked - Well, that was pleasant. Mom and I had a talk because a thing happened and I decided that we were going to have A Talk because I've had enough.* So we had A Talk and it ended up taking about 4 hours of our lives that we will neither of us ever get back. Upshot being that she is an angry, anxious, bitter person who has not adjusted to the random and unhoped for state of her life. She would apparently be happier alone per her statements. She definitely resents me being here and is jealous that I can talk to my dad more easily than she at this point in time. She is very angry that life has not made everything work out for everyone (join the club? shit happens?). And holy buffalo chips, batman, does she have a decades long list of resentments. Jimminy Christmas. Meanwhile, as a friend of mine pointed out recently, I was being the adult (which, btw, frakking sucks when you have to do that with your parent) and did a lot more listening than talking. This took effort. Especiall...

#nottheonion I don't usually link to Fox, but this was one of the least offensive articles I could find about this? Also, it is a pretty good takedown of what a horrible person this man is. Him: “[Y]ou as a woman should have come up with a better solution than diapers and plugs, but you didn’t. Reason being women are focused on and distracted by your period 25 percent of the time, making them far less productive than they could be.” Rachel Corbett (writer): "I think it might be time for Dopps to take his magical lipstick and use it to glue his own lips shut." http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/02/21/vagina-lipstick-glue-is-even-more-terrible-than-it-sounds.html http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/02/21/vagina-lipstick-glue-is-even-more-terrible-than-it-sounds.html

Um, guys? Hey, guys? The proteins in mosquito saliva are the primary hypothesis as to the cause of the rare but real allergy thereto. I don't mean the usual itching. I mean goes all the way to anaphylaxis, you know, unpleasant dying. I really hope you have a lot of benadryl and steroids around for your study participants, because sure, they haven't developed that level of sensitivity after presumed repeated mosquito bites over their lifetime. However, they also haven't been deliberately given concentrated doses of those salivary proteins, either, in a deliberate attempt to stimulate the immune system in one way and not another. (I am assuming they know there is a small but real prevalence of allergy to mosquito bites and that's an exclusion for study participation.) It's super important to have vaccines against these mosquito-borne viruses, but are you monitoring for that level of severe allergic reaction? And are you going to pay attention to early and late phase ...

Ungood weather. It's not that I think terrible cold is the best, but it is spring weather up here all of a sudden and if this goes like last year it will trick everything into budding and blooming early. Then it will get cold again. Just cold enough to kill all the buds or the blossoms on the fruit trees and there will be no crop, again. (The fruit trees really shouldn't bud until about early April, here.) Last year, it did this and our apricot trees were covered with buds that turned black and fell off before they even had a chance to blossom. It was awful. It also hit the commercial fruit growers, obs. Bad weather, no biscuit.

Sir Thomas More: proto-epigenetics, or just more liberal social theory? “For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them.”

America is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. We must protect our houses of worship & religious centers. #JCC That's it? That's the big tweet on the continuing issues? Funny how it doesn't say anything about stopping or opposing what's behind the increasing bomb threats and vandalism. Oh, and if she was trying to include temples, mosques, churches, synagogues, and so forth? She missed a few hashtags. P.S. If you'd fix the underlying problem behind the threats and terrorizing (bigotry, racism, etc.), you wouldn't have to worry so much about "protecting our houses of worship & religious centers." This is a great excuse to suggest we need more policing, and more military, and more laws. Hm, wait. This starts to sound like dad and crew. P.P.S. Probably a big shock, but who cares about the buildings? There are people at risk. Maybe you should tweet about not hurting people. You know, human beings. Like you and your children, ab...

g+ is exhibiting odd tendencies with what posts it displays. They appear, they disappear, they show up hours after they were posted, some don't show up at all, they get randomly reordered. Bugger all that.

Still trying to understand what is going on with people. Not gonna go through this line by line, but wow. Very different realities. http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/21/politics/donald-trump-republican-support/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/21/politics/donald-trump-republican-support/index.html

Oddly, I just assumed that there were civil equivalents to "marriage" that weren't marriage. I guess that's probably not true here, either? Like, you don't have to have a religious ceremony, but it's still called "marriage"? Edit: I should say that I suspect there are some people who want to create false equivalencies with the lack of rights to actual marriage that LGBTQ couples have faced and that's not at all something I agree with. I do like the idea of having a choice as to whether you want to call what you are doing by a term that is attached to thousands of years of religious and chauvinist baggage, or not. Whatever it is called, everyone should have access to the same rights and privileges in this regard. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39039146 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39039146

Awesome new word: tergiversate. Equivocate, waffle, constantly change your mind.

Impressive guitarist (his name is Vahagni). The fusion thing seems to work for him, although I like that this is almost traditional flamenco style playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEHe4ctYoPo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEHe4ctYoPo

Silk Road Ensemble does Mali. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QigIssNSOww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QigIssNSOww

What if Astor Piazzolla and Philip Glass had a love child? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7WvC7FqEzE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7WvC7FqEzE

It's always the French. Gee, I wonder if there's any relation between the root of the word "farrago" and the name "Farage"? https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-02-20/word-refugee-has-surprising-origin https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-02-20/word-refugee-has-surprising-origin

Cool. https://www.positive.news/2017/lifestyle/25625/positive-destinations-migrant-led-tours-fair-trade-adventure/ https://www.positive.news/2017/lifestyle/25625/positive-destinations-migrant-led-tours-fair-trade-adventure/

#cutecritterprotocol https://media.lonelyplanet.com/news/production/2015/12/baby-gito-orangutan-1.jpg

This was on the local news because it happened here, today. It's happening so often, in so many places, I will not be surprised when one of them turns out to be real. But this has nothing to do with Trump or the Republicans or the atmosphere they've encouraged. That's fake news. Meanwhile, one of my cousins mentioned that U of M, like Rice and other universities is having an increase in specifically anti-semitic incidences. With the anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim and anti-Mexican nonsense that these people are encouraging and supporting, what precisely do they expect will happen? This is insane. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Jewish-Community-Centers-evacuated-wave-threats-10-414270823.html http://www.startribune.com/u-police-investigate-latest-anti-semitic-postings-on-campus/414140383/ http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Jewish-Community-Centers-evacuated-wave-threats-10-414270823.html

Who exactly does not benefit from retirement savings plans being available to people? http://www.cbsnews.com/news/commentary-house-gop-bill-could-hurt-your-retirement/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/commentary-house-gop-bill-could-hurt-your-retirement/

Yay? http://gizmodo.com/some-good-news-about-the-worst-mass-extinction-in-earth-1792455946 http://gizmodo.com/some-good-news-about-the-worst-mass-extinction-in-earth-1792455946

Wait. There's no enforceable product safety laws with regards to guns? Did I read this correctly? That's insane. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/popular-remington-700-rifle-linked-to-potentially-deadly-defects/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/popular-remington-700-rifle-linked-to-potentially-deadly-defects/

Offs. Dr Kigwangalla's outspoken comments on Twitter follow the health ministry's move last week to suspend the activities of 40 drop-in HIV/Aids clinics, accusing non-governmental organisations of using them to promote gay sex. Why, did they tell them to use condoms or something? They're clinics, not sex shops. P.S. The rates of HIV infection are measurably higher in women than in men in Tanzania. This has been consistently so over time. Furthermore, the estimates of orphaned children due to AIDS (17 and under) is somewhere around 750,000 +/-. But the important thing is to close the HIV clinics because GAY SEX. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39026477 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39026477

Different versions of the same story? Interesting. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/employees-across-u-s-fired-after-joining-day-without-immigrants-n722991 http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/employees-across-u-s-fired-after-joining-day-without-immigrants-n722991

Thank you, John Oliver. “The man is incredible because what hits you first there is the racism of assuming that all black people are friends,” Oliver said. “But then it’s not until later that you really appreciate the sexism of thinking that all women are there to perform secretarial tasks for you.” https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/20/john-oliver-on-trump-he-dominates-the-news-like-a-fart-dominates-a-car https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/20/john-oliver-on-trump-he-dominates-the-news-like-a-fart-dominates-a-car

I thought they already did this? Assuming you can trust the news, of course. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-compiles-psychological-dossier-trump-putin-n723196 http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-compiles-psychological-dossier-trump-putin-n723196

Thanks so much for stopping! I had the best time just hanging out with you guys. Hope the rest of your trip is awesome. Enjoy the wines!

Cool. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37775173 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37775173

Inspiring. http://www.bbc.com/news/disability-36315689 http://www.bbc.com/news/disability-36315689

Lots of cute animals. #cutecritterprotocol http://gothamist.com/2017/02/17/bronx_zoo_reality_show.php#photo-10 http://gothamist.com/2017/02/17/bronx_zoo_reality_show.php#photo-10

Nephew dog's formal February photo. Cute sweater and everything.

No, you're kidding. Absolutely no anecdotal evidence of this in medical school, residency, or practice. Nope. Don't even know why you bothered to do the study. Granted the point that they have yet to determine whether being burned out makes you care less, or the process that results in the burn out also diminishes caring, or you start to care less and then get more burned out. I think it's a parallel but separate question whether or not you are protected a lot, a little, or not at all from burnout by being motivated by the patient contact/social impact part of your work. It's highly improbable that any protection would be absolute, as well. Thus still leaving the issue of burnout affecting the carer and, eventually, the care itself. I also have concerns about using language loaded with specifically christian religious tones, i.e. "calling". I know it's tossed around all the time, now, but it really specifically refers to a religious calling, which may or m...

Guess he likes his job. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/reince-priebus-michael-flynn-russia-sanctions-235182 http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/reince-priebus-michael-flynn-russia-sanctions-235182

I know one should never link to random twitter accounts, but this is possibly the best response so far to Trump's cryptic reference to an incident last night in Sweden (subtext - terror! ). Many Bowling Green survivors have also tweeted their support. (If it doesn't show - its goats.) https://twitter.com/Currtis25Harr/status/833123166495133696

At what point do we officially get to call them Nuremberg Rallies? We've got the flying in on an official plane, the specifically chosen music playing, the signs distributed to the crowd, the choreographed supporter from the crowd embracing the dear leader. I mean, maybe they didn't pray at the rallies, per se, but I'm thinking that's not a disqualifier for the moniker. Nobody's claiming this is an historical reenactment. Not to mention that it's crossing a major religion favoring line to recite The Lord's Prayer. Uncool. And his supporters may swallow that ridiculously scripted bit about gosh, he had no idea what his wife was going to say! but nobody else believed it. This is terrifying. http://www.vox.com/2017/2/18/14659952/trump-transcript-rally-melbourne-florida http://www.vox.com/2017/2/18/14659952/trump-transcript-rally-melbourne-florida

Everything is fine. I'm just curious, though, at what point it's legitimate to use the word "purge"? http://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-dept-layoffs-under-rex-tillerson-being-carried-out/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-dept-layoffs-under-rex-tillerson-being-carried-out/

Miffy says good-bye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOsFcyve1cs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOsFcyve1cs

Cats and dogs, living together. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/westminster-dog-show-2017-best-in-show-rumor-german-shepherd-best-photos-pictures-day-2 http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/02/westminster-dog-show-2017-best-in-show-rumor-german-shepherd-best-photos-pictures-day-2

Aw, bye, bye bunny. http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39007462 http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39007462

I thought he didn't want briefings. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-yells-at-cia-director-over-reports-intel-officials-are-keeping-information-from-him/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-yells-at-cia-director-over-reports-intel-officials-are-keeping-information-from-him/

Privilege in action. #thankstrump http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-frequent-visits-are-hurting-say-small-business-owners-near-mar-a-lago/ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-frequent-visits-are-hurting-say-small-business-owners-near-mar-a-lago/

Probably shouldn't read this stuff before bed. http://www.npr.org/2017/02/17/515630467/with-fake-news-trump-moves-from-alternative-facts-to-alternative-language http://www.npr.org/2017/02/17/515630467/with-fake-news-trump-moves-from-alternative-facts-to-alternative-language

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pre-clearance-border-canada-us-1.3976123 http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pre-clearance-border-canada-us-1.3976123

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/doctors-want-safe-third-country-agreement-reviewed-1.3986994 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/doctors-want-safe-third-country-agreement-reviewed-1.3986994

Two part posting, part two. tl;dr - "Fake" is not a relative term. While there is an interesting discussion, here, of a newspaper looking at a suit and the pros and cons and historical context of this, it seems that we have reached new lows in the verbal prevarication of politicians. To wit, the CO Rep Maj leader seems to feel that fake news is relative (unless he is being misquoted, always possible). "What it means to one person might be different than another," said Holbert. "Are stories made up entirely out of whole cloth? In this instance, it seems like there are differing perspectives on the same reality. This really seems to be rather unnecessary." I don't know if it's a good idea for the paper to sue, or not, but political leaders need to stand up and lead. All the majority leader had to say was that it really isn't appropriate to have a 140 character "discussion" on twitter, and that there are people who support the bill and p...

Two part posting, part one. Definition of the word "fake". Example, the first thing that google pulls up when you search "fake, definition".

Very #throwbackthursday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qehmo43okqs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qehmo43okqs

#cutecritterprotocol Does the government know that hamsters are a Syrian plot? And a Jewish one. Sad. (All your pet hamster are belong to Syrian. They were first successfully caught and bred in captivity by Israel Aharoni, a zoologist working in the then Ottoman empire. Internet says he was Jewish. See? It's all true. Your hamster could be watching you right now . It's a plot. A cute, furry little plot with adorable cheeks of holding.) Edit: In case it's not obvious, that's a hamster eating elderberries. Ob Monty Python. http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/cute-hamsters-57__880.jpg

It's not automation and cheap natural gas. It's all those bureaucratic rules about the environment. You should see how great the coal mining industry is in China and Russia! We're gonna be great again, just like them! http://www.vox.com/2017/2/2/14488448/stream-protection-rule http://www.vox.com/2017/2/2/14488448/stream-protection-rule

Would somebody make these for me? All of them? 'Cuz I will eat them. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/03/yotam-ottolenghi-sweet-treats-festive-table https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/03/yotam-ottolenghi-sweet-treats-festive-table

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/15/515060729/beyonce-is-not-the-magical-negro-mammy http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/15/515060729/beyonce-is-not-the-magical-negro-mammy

- locked - Oh, ok, great. I've been back here for less than 24 hours and my mother has apparently managed to co-opt my dad into the everything would be better if I just wasn't here narrative. Yes, that's right, because I planned for everything in my life to be a complete disaster. In particular, it was a plan to upset her life, because that's what this is all about. How my not being rich and successful is a big disappointment to her and her future plans. I mean, that's why you have kids, right? And she starts her crap immediately this morning because I had the audacity to remove the snow from the driveway, but hadn't salted it yet, of which I was informing her and noting that it was slippery. Yes, there would be more traction if I had left the snow on top of the ice, but I had this crazy idea that removing it would prevent even more ice from forming and eventually being harder to remove and more dangerous blah blah blah, etc. Plus, would have salted it eventuall...

Cooking, inspired by Monty Python. Up next, a recipe for salmon mousse. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/dining/easy-dinner-recipe-lemon-curry-butter-fish.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-5&action=click&contentCollection=Food&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/dining/easy-dinner-recipe-lemon-curry-butter-fish.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-5&action=click&contentCollection=Food&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article

Not sure there's anything new here, but still. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/business/boeing-union-south-carolina.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/business/boeing-union-south-carolina.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

#waybackwednesday Brought to mind by my #cuteanimalprotocol post. And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo Every day you meet quite a few So you see it's all up to you You can be better than you are You could be swingin' on a star https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8KvM3vZo0w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8KvM3vZo0w

Here, have a hamster on a swing. #cuteanimalprotocol https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/db/22/08/db2208f9403af15c21ef4d11a8d233a2.jpg

Good grief. I left for a few days (explanations later) and am immediately hit with sludge just by being here - mental, physical, emotional. Toxic environs much? No, the news does not help and for Offler's sake would somebody please cover something other than the daily fear and terror clown show on the news? I mean, surely something else is happening in the world? Ugh. Exhaustion and cozy defensive under rock position finding.

Oh, Texas, you so special. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/texas-splits-with-other-states-defends-trump-travel-ban/2017/02/15/fa17bb7c-f3b1-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html?utm_term=.8d1b6667ae96 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/texas-splits-with-other-states-defends-trump-travel-ban/2017/02/15/fa17bb7c-f3b1-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html?utm_term=.8d1b6667ae96

Kids these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mlAXD-QhS0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mlAXD-QhS0

#nottheonion So, yeah, "concert pianist" brings to mind Arthur Rubinstein, or Mitsuko Uchida, or etc. I gather he is really trained to play and likes it, but he's basically your typical ambassador material - rich, charitable socialite. Who happens to be an obsessed fan of the Julie Andrews movie. Odl lay dee odl lay dee odl lay. http://www.palmbeachgalas.com/philanthropys-finest/patrick-park-instrumental-in-symphony-many-other-institutions/ http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/news/a9575/patrick-park-trump-austrian-ambassador/ http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/news/a9575/patrick-park-trump-austrian-ambassador/