LJ: more quickies
I have two stories I want to dig into a bit deeper, but we'll see how today goes. In the meantime, what I've spotted on the 'net:
Cher: "I have two sons".
AWESOME: Two Men Marry Aboard Virgin America Flight. The pilot diverted the plane over Canada air space for this.
Teens should teach adults about safe sex91% of men older than 50 do not use condoms for sex with a date or casual acquaintance.
70% of men over 50 do not use condoms when having sex with someone they just met.
This just boggles my mind. I wonder how many of these men are recently divorced, or getting some on the side, or what the stories here are. Over 50 does mean they came of age before AID's though -- prior to 1980 it was a very different landscape. Before AIDS and after "Free Love".
Repeal it. Now.
Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, made the right call this week in pledging to push for repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during the lame-duck session of Congress. The odds of ridding the country of the destructive ban on gay soldiers serving openly will diminish greatly in the next Congress when Republicans take over the House and gain strength in the Senate.
Well, we can hope. It would be really nice. I'm not holding my breath, but it would be really, really, really nice.
No surprises here at all, but nice graphics: Where Did Our Debt Come From?. Reagan and Bush. 'Nuff said.
California Impasse. Better than the stupid LA Times article that bashed people for what amounts to the Two Santa Theory (covered here, too). Also, look at this: Why the Deficit Is Simply Not an Economic Problem Now, or in Future Decades. That's the real crux of the issue. Much of this sturm und drang about the deficit, about the need to cut spending, and so on, is simply manufactured. Not only that, but it's also using the fear and hardship generated by this quasi-Depression to bolster their view.
Back to the TSA, MoJo offers a more sane look at how to secure airports: After John Tyner: A Five-Step Plan to a Sane Airport Security System.
And finally, perspective from the other side of that fence: TSA Enhanced Pat Downs : The Screeners Point Of View. Like many of the commenters to that article, I'm not entirely sold here, although I do sympathize to some point -- jobs are not plentiful out there as we well know, so just telling them to quit is unproductive. The fact that Republicans denied them the ability to unionize I think is a huge, HUGE factor here. Still, I would encourage all these employees to get together and present their concerns with a united (if not unionized) front.
That said, I'm flying in January. I hope that this issue will be resolved by then, but if not, I'm not yet sure what I plan to do. Really depends if there's a millimeter scanner available. I'm also afraid that even if I don't opt out, I'll still get searched.
Cher: "I have two sons".
AWESOME: Two Men Marry Aboard Virgin America Flight. The pilot diverted the plane over Canada air space for this.
Teens should teach adults about safe sex91% of men older than 50 do not use condoms for sex with a date or casual acquaintance.
70% of men over 50 do not use condoms when having sex with someone they just met.
This just boggles my mind. I wonder how many of these men are recently divorced, or getting some on the side, or what the stories here are. Over 50 does mean they came of age before AID's though -- prior to 1980 it was a very different landscape. Before AIDS and after "Free Love".
Repeal it. Now.
Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, made the right call this week in pledging to push for repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during the lame-duck session of Congress. The odds of ridding the country of the destructive ban on gay soldiers serving openly will diminish greatly in the next Congress when Republicans take over the House and gain strength in the Senate.
Well, we can hope. It would be really nice. I'm not holding my breath, but it would be really, really, really nice.
No surprises here at all, but nice graphics: Where Did Our Debt Come From?. Reagan and Bush. 'Nuff said.
California Impasse. Better than the stupid LA Times article that bashed people for what amounts to the Two Santa Theory (covered here, too). Also, look at this: Why the Deficit Is Simply Not an Economic Problem Now, or in Future Decades. That's the real crux of the issue. Much of this sturm und drang about the deficit, about the need to cut spending, and so on, is simply manufactured. Not only that, but it's also using the fear and hardship generated by this quasi-Depression to bolster their view.
Back to the TSA, MoJo offers a more sane look at how to secure airports: After John Tyner: A Five-Step Plan to a Sane Airport Security System.
And finally, perspective from the other side of that fence: TSA Enhanced Pat Downs : The Screeners Point Of View. Like many of the commenters to that article, I'm not entirely sold here, although I do sympathize to some point -- jobs are not plentiful out there as we well know, so just telling them to quit is unproductive. The fact that Republicans denied them the ability to unionize I think is a huge, HUGE factor here. Still, I would encourage all these employees to get together and present their concerns with a united (if not unionized) front.
That said, I'm flying in January. I hope that this issue will be resolved by then, but if not, I'm not yet sure what I plan to do. Really depends if there's a millimeter scanner available. I'm also afraid that even if I don't opt out, I'll still get searched.