Slow Cook Chili - versions 1.0

Ingredients

BASE - recipe
2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef   2.5lb 96% lean
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)   - 2 cups
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped  - 3
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained - unsalted - no other spices
1 can (16 oz) chili beans in sauce, undrained - no beans - if you MUST add less than half ...
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder  - 3
1 1/2  teaspoons ground cumin - 2
1/2  teaspoon salt - 1 
1/2  teaspoon pepper - 1 

additional bits
1 tbps butter (NOT margarine)
1 habanero - seeded, deveined, minced
2 large, jalapeno - seeded, deveined, minced
2 baby carrots, minced

Instructions
brown
melt butter in cooker
saute onions union translucent
add carrots, garlic, peppers
add spices

brown beef in skillet, in batches
do not break up the meat a lot, BIG chunks is infinitely better
do not drain the beef, 96% beef has almost no fat ...

add beef to cooker
cover and cook on low, 6 - 8 hours

taste early and often
no really eating out of the pot until you explode

Tasting notes:
probably needs more salt for next time, esp using tomatoes without salt .. :P
this produced a mild, almost medium spice chili.  probably want to increase all the peppers next time
50% higher on all spices??

GOP loses their minds

They first came for the Muslims, I didnt say anything because TERRORISTS.

They next came for the Jews, I didnt say anything because they already own all the banks.

And then they came for the papists, I didnt say anything because they arent true patriots anyway!

No one cared when they took away the godless atheists and the wishy washy agnostics.

When they final came for me, no one said anything, they were all gone.

stages of religion

all religions go through a couple standard phases

stage 1) cult and persecution - the old religions persecute them for being the new cult on the block. try to stomp them out before they gain any momentum

stage 2) middle - made fun of - the old religions make fun of them - OMG you believe in blank? that is so INSANE!!! our religion is the one and only

stage 3a) death - they die out from lack of followers

stage 3b) flourish - they make it to the big leagues - enough followers to survive. they have enough power to reduce the abuse

stage 3c) sectarian splits - get big enough that you can fission

stage 4) stage 3b slowly fades into stage 3a

scientology is still in stage 2.

mormonism is moving out of stage 2 into stage 3b.

all religion is delusion - religion will be treated as a mental illness in the future ... and brainwashing your children will be treated as abuse ("YOU WILL BURN IN HELL IF YOU DONT BELIEVE!!!")

dell laptop - power heat settings

dynamic platform and thermal framework nominal tdp
low TDP

http://superuser.com/questions/909158/intel-dynamic-platform-and-thermal-framework-settings-what-exactly-do-they-do/909292

We need to talk.

"Good, we have time to chat about this before the actual date..."


I had an interesting observation and break through the other day when someone sent an email with "we can talk about this later".

My reaction was visceral.  After thinking about this for a bit, I was able to put a face to that fear after 51 years.

My mother.
"Wait until your father gets home."

Thanks mom for yet another nightmare in my life that I didnt even know that I was dealing, or not dealing with.  Let me count the ways that has caused problems in my life.

1) Thanks for making me fear my father.
2) Hidden abuse is the worst.
3) This led to having zero skills in conflict resolution. If everything gets put off until later.

FFS, whenever I hear that phrase, I panic, punishment is coming LATER.

nice

Sara Stone - She's not coming home.

I have had a pretty lucky life.  No one really close to me has died.
(I have a million aunts and uncles who have died, but while some of them were closer than others, none of them were best friends.)

A friend from work, someone I have known for 10 years? A long time. Well, she has been fighting cancer for over 2 years now, and it has won.  She is off treatment and off to hospice.

While we were never "really close", she was a great person to work with, fun and bright.
And sharing the tiny bit you get from being facebook friends, well that got me to see another side of her.

She is the closest thing to a contemporary that has died/will die that I have known.
It is a whole new thing for me.

If there is any good news with this bad news, she had no kids.
She didnt make it to 40.


her husband posted this today

Dear friends and family, Sara's not responding to treatment and has gotten much worse. The doctors say there's nothing else they can do. She's not coming home.

We're moving her into a beautiful hospice facility in Milwaukee to improve her quality of life, but the doctors are now speaking in terms of days, not months. She can't walk without becoming fatigued, and she has difficulty speaking or breathing because her lungs are compromised. She is feeling very little pain.

Visitors are welcome for short visits, keeping in mind that Sara requires her rest. Know that we are aware of the love that surrounds us at this difficult time. Thank you all, for everything.

Zilber Family Hospice is just a mile from Froedtert, and located at:
1155 Honey Creek Parkway
Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Why Boehner Really Quit

Ahmed - What really should have happened.

911: What is your emergency?
School Official: Student brought a bomb to school
911: OMG! A BOMB! We are sending the bomb squad, evacuate the school.
School Moron: Well not a real bomb.
911: Ok, we are sending an officer.
...
Officer: OK, show me the bomb.
Officer - talking to the kid: Um, so this is a clock?
Ahmed: Yup, a clock
Officer: Cool!

Officer - placing the School Moron under arrest, handcuffing him/her: You are under arrest.  It is a federal felony to call in a false bomb threat.  The FBI will be taking you into custody. Dont worry kid, this moron wont be back. Ever.
Ahmed: Thanks!

thyroid changing when I take my meds

I need to set a daily reminder to take my thyroid before bed ...

2015 09 16 - first time taking it at night or late at night ... only taking half, the other half when I get up in the AM - 9:48 pm

Vote by MAIL !

Vote by MAIL !
1) no tampering at the polls
2) everyone knows in advance that something went wrong when they dont get their ballot
3) perfect paper trail for recounts
4) central collection of ballots avoids the ballot stuffing 
5) no need for polling place judges
6) no shortage of polling booths in crowded areas, like colleges and poor areas
7) no screwing with early voting, everyone votes early

/homeless vote at libraries or townhalls like they do now ... etc ...

GOP 2017

bdub77: Repeal Obamacare
Declare war on Iran
Declare war on Cuba
Force Mexico to pay for wall and/or declare war on Mexico
Tax cuts for wealthy
Deregulate Wall Street
Defund EPA and Dept of Education
Time Warner Cable for Everyone Act of 2017
We Know What's Best for Women Act of 2017
Bring Back Slavery Act of 2017
Defend Washington DC from Massive Riots Act of 2017
The Barack Hussein Obama It's His Fault for Declaring Nuclear War on Civilians Act of 2018

sad but true ...
this list sort of outlines the GOP world ...
I would have included a couple of more internal changes:
War on the Gays
War on drugs part 2
Increase TSA for all travel, including trains, buses, cars and bicycles
Increased surveillance of citizens
Freedom from food stamps
Freedom from welfare
Freedom from healthcare

You guys are forgetting:

Make Christianity the official religion of the United States
Make English the official language of the United States

biochemistry of love

phenylethylamine It is a stimulant, much like an amphetamine, that causes the release of norepinephrine and dopamine. This chemical is found when you are falling in love. It's responsible for the head-over-heels, elated part of love.
AKA the FIRST KISS

oxytocin - Dopamine triggers the release of oxytocin, which is sometimes called the 'cuddle hormone'. 
AKA the middle

endorphins - Your brain acquires a tolerance to the love stimulants and starts to release endorphins. The honeymoon is over, chemically, around 18 months to 4 years into a relationship. However, this isn't all bad. Endorphins are associated with feelings of attachment and comfort. Endorphins are like opiates. They calm anxiety, relieve pain and reduce stress.
AKA after the flame has burned out

Pete-isms

Slightly exaggerated minds think alike.

Stupid Pete Problem #17
It's 1:30 and wonder where my cleaning lady is. She is never this late. Never. I always get a text.

DERP
Wrong week, she is coming next week.

DERP

words

ab·sti·nence - the fact or practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something

On my way to losing weight - Insane unexpected life changes

So ... I lost a bunch of weight by going on a low carb diet.  My only goal was to lose weight.
I expected that this would improve health measures. BP, glucose, cholesterol, happier knees, etc.  What I didn't expect was all the other odd changes.

1) Walking - what the fuck - my pace increased. I wasn't walking faster to try and lose weight, I just started walking faster, naturally. And am annoyed by slow walkers.  More energy I guess.

2) Dandruff - lolwut?!  I went from leaving dandruff everywhere; back of the couch, my shirts and jackets, everywhere; to wait, what, where did it go. I still use prescription dandruff shampoo, but mostly because meh, I already have it and like it. lolwut?!

3) GERD - I used to live on Prilosec.  I used to have to sleep on my left side only.  If I rolled over to the right, 100% chance that I would wake up. UNHAPPY.  I long since stopped taking it.  Still have to go sleep on my left, but, I no longer wake up in the middle of the night from events.

4) Energy - HAHAHAHAAHAH - Seriously. Nothing like eating steak and eggs, losing weight, and having energy.

5) Knees - since switching, my knees stopped hurting.  This wasnt from losing the weight. Nope.  When I "cheat" now and have carbs, TADA, my knees hurt. LOLOLOL

6) Beer - Dammit.  I used to love beer.  All kinds of beer.  Now I can pretty much only drink IPAs.  Your taste buds change??

7) Food

8) Sugar Addiction - everything is way too sweet now. YAY.  But do not discount the REAL effect of carb addiction.  Quitting carbs is like quitting anything else.  You will have headaches!! You will crave and suffer.  Suck it up nancy.

9) Jealousy - hahahaahahaha Seriously.  Other fatties will hate you. Or join you and love you forever.  My best friend talked his wife into doing this with him. "It will make it easier for me."  Together they are down over 100 lbs and falling. And healthier!!

10) Cholesterol is better than before the diet.

11) BP meds are cut in half. Working on the next half.

12) Glucose is completely out of the "pre-diabetic zone".

13) the list goes on and on

Don't Diet - Change Your Diet

1. http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307474259
   Shut up, buy this book, NOW.  Seriously interesting science book.  Not a diet book.  Not selling anything.  Just Facts.  You know. Science and Stuff.
1. Do you know how diabetes used to be treated before modern medicine started using drugs to treat it? Why not?
2. Do you know that almost everything that you think that you know about diet and nutrition is false?
   
2. Do not go on a diet, change your diet.
   
3. If you are trying to lose less than 5% or less, of your current weight, 5lbs out of 100, piss off.
   
4. You didnt gain the weight in one week, you wont lose the weight in one week.
   
5. What ever you have done so far doesnt work. Stop doing it.
   
6. Until you have reached your target, there is no such thing as a cheat day, or cheat weekend.  Grow the fuck up already.
   
7. WHI (in the book) - End result of years of data? Women lost weight, but gained inches.
   
8. Stanford A to Z Study (in the book) - Guess which study won? And won on multiple measures:
1. weight lost
2. ease of diet
3. improved blood numbers
4. AKA the best diet
   
9. No one cares what works for you.  That is AWESOME.  The rest of us are not you.  Seriously, if what you did worked for everyone, that everyone would do it. Piss off.
   
10. Hypothyroid, esp if you have Hashimoto's - You are almost certainly being under-dosed because the doctors are worried about bone density (and other hyperthyroid issues).  Get your actual numbers.  Talk to a specialist.  One that treats your gender, including weight issues, and gets it.  If you have no energy, weight problems, and hashimoto's; you are being under-treated. Period.
    
11. Fraudulent Study - the FDA recommendations from the 1980s were based (at least in part), on a multi-country study, that was fraud.  What else would you call a study that excluded countries that didnt fit the desired results? Yup. Fraud.  And 35 years later we are starting to come around??? sigh
    
12. Wear a belt - cinch it tight.  So you are uncomfortable? Good. Stop wearing nice comfortable sweat pants. HAHAHA How else did we get fat in the first place?!
    
13. Estrogen aka Hell for Women - Estrogen and fat absorption are inversely related.  Lower E, leads to increased fat storage.  (re Wade - in the book)
    
14. Vegetarian - Vegan - Sorry, did you want to lose weight or belong to a religion?  Sure you can "blah blah blah blah".  If your diet was so awesome, than you wouldnt be fat.
    
15. OWN IT - you got fat. OWN IT. SHOUT IT OUT.  Tell people.
    
16. Fitbit etc - anything that can track data for you automatically is AWESOME.
    
17. Doctors - have they helped you so far?  Are they stuck in the "we would have to admit that we were WRONG" trap?  Dietitians? HAHAHAHAH Can we at least admit that what they are selling is not based on science?!
    
18. Most of the current FDA recommendations are not actually based on any science.  I call that a religion.  All myth, no facts.
    

option 4

Who knew that GOP 2016 would be even more amusing than GOP 2012?
Seriously. A rational party would have taken steps to prevent a repeat of the 2012 primary from happening.
Looks like all of their steps have lead to ... an even more entertaining version of 2012.

Option 1) kick Trump from the GOP party.  Trump runs as an independent.

Option 2) hope Trump burns himself out by opening his mouth.  Trump is gaining in the polls by being a bigot.

Option 3) attack Trump in a concerted effort. Trump has gained sympathy and increased support.

Option 4) convince all but the most moderate candidates to drop out, rally behind him and hope Trump goes away. 

Eyup
Option 4 is pretty much their only option and there is no way it will happen.

the ice age is coming

RagnarDanesk: You do understand that though out history the climate has changed, no one debates this, in fact only the left seems to try and argue that its always been exactly the same until we invented the internal combustion engine. We have proof that the Vikings once lived and grew grapes for wine in northern Canada so clearly the climate changes. That does not mean its caused by man.

all stats are about cherry picking your data

you can craft different stories depending on where you start and where you stop

BUT CO2 is up during the recent period.
And the ocean is more acidic during this same period, so the ocean is in agreement.

 

LONGER period
 

LONGER ....
 

What's missing in all these graphics, is ... whenever the Co2 spiked this high, we got another ice-age right after.
We are JUST in latest short local period of warming.  There will be ice again!! :D

1) did we cause it? doesnt matter. it is real, it is here now, it is getting higher. (yes of course we caused SOME of it. all of it? no. most of it? probably)
2) can we fix it by changes just in the US? hahaha no ... India and China are adding more Co2 per year, than the rest of the world are cutting. Slowing the acceleration wont help at all.

3) can we fix it with tech? hahaha we have all kinds of SCIFI ideas: iron in the ocean to bloom algae, sulfur in the atmosphere to make clouds. so we could fuck with the thermostat if we want.

4) will species go extinct? lol of course. like they always have and always will. are we forcing some early extinctions? duh of course. nothing new.

5) will humans suffer? yes. um ... the same humans who are most likely to suffer the most are suffering NOW from other problems, but we are doing NOTHING. Why should we do something because of CLIMATE but not for those other reasons? derp.

so yah, I'll be dead soon enough. everyone will be dead soon enough.

planet will go back to doing what it always does ... up and down, back and forth

anthropocentric fool

...

anthropocentric - I am the center of the universe

geocentric - the Earth is the center of the universe

heliocentric - the Sun is the center of the universe

reality - we are so far the center that the concept has no meaning

1) there are an infinite number of planets (close enough to make no difference) (no really) (figure ~10^21 stars in observable universe, figure ~10^22 planets - close enough to infinite)

2) the idea that the earth is the ONLY planet in the universe with life is so laughable that only an anthropocentric fool would even pretend that it must be the case

3) the only intelligent life - same story - apologies to fermi and his paradox, but yawn. we can assume that intelligence is a function of time. we already have a number of animals that we know are pretty damn "close". the idea that we are the only ones? see anthropocentric fool

but tell me again how your god, out of the millions of gods that humans have worshipped over the last 100,000 years is the only one

do you even have a clue what money is?

I always cracked up when the show would go as follows:
1) federation has evolved beyond the need of money
2) crew is playing poker

it is impossible (completely uninteresting) to play poker with using a token of value. Call it MONEY.

That token could be a chit for exchange of services. You take my watch. Clean my room. Any service.

This is the definition of money. It is the value of our time.

The idea that the federation didnt have money was "stupid".

2016 GOP prediction #001 - 2015 08 02 - because I am an idiot.

But seriously ... do you think that 2016 will be a repeat of 2012 for the GOP? Front runner of the month, implosion, rinse and repeat?

My current .... guess ... is that Trump will stay in for the first 4 primaries. Those primaries SHOULD cull the numbers down to .... 3-5 contenders which oust Trump by super tuesday.

Frak, I should write this down to see how close I come.

Ex Machina

sexist
can a sex toy be sexist
was the creator sexist? maybe
was he creating a sex toy? maybe

men can easily be fooled ... so making it a her makes some amount of sense ...

so many interesting questions were asked
so many terrifying scenes were shown or inferred ...

more details when I have more time

2012 GOP growth and opportunity project

http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/623664/republican-national-committees-growth-and.pdf

1) this is not satire - this is what they did after the election to figure out how to FIX THINGS

2) you wont find any random samples 

3) you wont find them talking to independents or democrats or people who voted against them

everything in this report explains EXACTLY what is happening today

As requested by Chairman Priebus, we made recommendations in the following areas: 

1. Messaging 

2. Demographic Partners 

3. Campaign Mechanics 

4. Friends and Allies (Third Party Groups) 

5. Fundraising 

6. Campaign Finance 

7. Primary Process

I guess if you are NEVER going to change your platform, this is all that you have left.

posting about change that went astray ... who knows where it was going

Remember when the southern dens used to be KKK members? They evolved and moved to the GOP.

Remember when the GOP use to be progressive and anti military complex? They evolved. And pay tribute to their corporate overlord now.

People can change over time.

Defiance 101 - or why you should watch it (or not)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2189221/combined

1. Rockne S. O'Bannon - Farscape! One of my all time favorite shows.
2. Luie Benz - was good in Dexter, is good here
3. Tony Curran - was good in Underworld, is good/great here
4. Jamie Murray - was good in Warehouse 13, was great in Dexter, is good/great here
5. Trenna Keating - was good in Orphan Black, is good here
6. Short Season!! - Short Seasons are the only way to avoid absurd/terrible filler episodes!!!
7. Mia Kirshner!! - omg - I thought I recognized her!! She was in Exotica (1994). She is good here. Evidently she was also a main character in "the L word"

So ... while the show is not great ... it is very good.  The long story arcs are interesting and leave you wondering where things are going.

Geography test 101

Africa
percent south of the equator

US/SA
percent east/west of maine

Chicago
What City in Europe is on the same latitude.

etc
etc

#27 almost all of south america is east of the US

#28 almost all of africa is north of the equator

Colonoscopy 101 - SHUT UP AND GET TESTED!!

(news flash - you will spend a lot of time make butt and poop jokes while this is going on. get ready for it in advance)

Seriously, people make such a big deal out of this, for all the wrong reasons, mostly complete and total ignorance.  For something which can keep you from dying from cancer (by catching it early), for something which only needs to be done every 10 years, SHUT UP AND GET TESTED!!

1) Prep - the day before
2) Prep - the day of
3) Actual Procedure
4) Recovery - later that day
5) Recovery - after that

Everyone has this absurd misunderstanding of step 3.
OMG they are going to stick a camera in my butt that is going to hurt!!!!
PANIC

Look, just because you had that one horrifying experience with anal sex, why would you assume that medicine would be the same thing??


1) Prep - the day before
Starvation 101
You are not allowed to EAT anything the day before. NOTHING.  Unless you have done this before, you really dont have a basis for being HUNGRY.
Clear fluids. (not coffee, tea ok ..)  You can drink 7-up (YAY SUGAR)
CLEAR frozen ice pops are ok. No dyes.  At some point you will probably get a headache, be prepared!!

Look, the whole point of prep is to remove everything from your colon (your colon is your large intestine), Everything. They want a completely clear view of the intestine walls. Red dyes will obstruct that view. duh.

Step 1) you stop eating. duh. no you cant have toast, fruit, or a big mac (seriously?? HAHA)

Step 2) They give you a laxative.
This is not your, yawn, store bought laxative. This is a prescription uber-laxative.  And, I can not emphasize this enough, because the instructions don't, LAXATIVE.
Reading the instructions, you will find the tiny print - THIS WILL CAUSE DIARRHEA!!
Plan on spending 4 hours in the bathroom. Seriously, buy wet wipes.

Look. Dont go outside. Seriously.
15 minutes after taking the first 1/4 dose, you will be in the bathroom.
Why did you go outside? Why did you not listen to me? LOLOLOL

Look, there is no way around this. We are talking about poop here. Except that we are not.
There are no feces at this point, it has all exploded out of you.  What we are talking about it liquid. Liquid stool.  Shooting out like a fire hose.  For 4 hours. Plan accordingly!!

oh yes, they dont mention, the prep will make you want to vomit. resist this urge!!

2) Prep - the day of
oh god, second dose! So just when you thought you were done pooping.
You wake up and take your second dose.
This means 4 more hours in the bathroom.  Seriously.
Do not plan on doing anything.
You weren't eating anyway. NO, you weren't eating, so stop eating.
(hahahaha if you eat, they cant do the procedure and you will have to do it all over again.)

Worst fear? You will get a call canceling your procedure (dr sick, etc) and they will make you go home and do this all over again in a few weeks.
HAHA HAHAH AHAH HAHA HHELLLLL NO!!!!

I asked the nurse about it, she said that it happened last week. Patients were given the option, go home and reschedule or have a different dr do the procedure. 100% had a different dr.  NO ONE wants to do this again!!!

3) Actual Procedure 
lube - seriously, why do you think that this would hurt? It's a small tube. They use lube. They give you awesome drugs. You barely feel anything.
Zero Pain - there was none. None at all.

Oh look, I can see my colon on TV !!
So you're in the room, you rollover and see the TV.  That is the moment that you realize that you have become your own PBS special, My Colon!  Did I mention that the drugs are awesome?

Hey, I did a pretty good job.  Hey look, I did an awesome job during prep.
Hey! What's that?? Snip snip. Guess that was a polyp!


4) Recovery - later that day
Gas - you will have gas. LET IT GO!!
Seriously, everyone else in recovery has had the same thing that you have. Everyone else is farting.
Get over it.  Nice thing? You really dont have to go to the bathroom, there is NOTHING IN THERE!!  But gas. UGH
Of course, you are resistant to let it go.  Because for the last 2 days you have been living in the bathroom. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.  It's gas. Let it go!

So in recovery they give you the results, tell you to walk off the gas, tell you that it will take 1-4 days before you have a bowel movement. mhmmm your mileage may vary.

Zero pain.  Really? Why did you think that you would be walking funny? HAHAHAH
People are so ... ignorant.

5) Recovery - after that
1-4 days?? hahaha how about 16 hours

Books for mike to read

moon is a harsh mistress
marooned in real time

dresden? denise or mike ?

Prachett

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

Terry Pratchett

dresden

dresden Changes ... The took our daughter. Dresden being trained by Mab to survive ... Dresden having it pointed out, that he spent the last 20 years making Molly fall MADLY, DEEPLY in love with him. Molly and .. MOLLY ... the prison on the island .... DAMN The Wall The moment that he realizes that the scree on the other side of the wall ... is unending mountains of bones ... so many of the most awesome amazing scenes ... when the Gatekeeper explains to Dresden ... that he is THE HELP Starborn?! FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Almost Human

2048
stupid anachronisms

1) cars and trucks ... vehicles, esp government will all be electric.
diesel trucks? LOL

2) therefore,  cars will be silent on the roads ...

3) radio reception - LOL car radio reception will not be an issue ... digital, satellite, etc etc etc

4) magic explosive shields, that arent used as body armor or everything else? LOL

5) drugs are bad - lol

6) energy shortages - LOL

7) THE WALL - LOL
where the losers live
ayn rand would love this silliness

Hannibal TV series - real horror

I figured out what I have liked so much about Hannibal (tv series).
It was obvious, but took a few days.

It is horror. OLD SCHOOL HORROR.
It is mostly in your mind HORROR.
None of that JUMP OUT AND SCARE you pretend "horror".

Is there blood? yes, but not enough to really.
Are there ... sliced this and thats? of course, but ... not gratuitous.
(If you were able to watch Silence of the Lambs, you can watch this.)

BUT ... what the part that was/is terrifying is all in my mind.
Hannibal is slicing a kidney for kidney pie (which is super yummy!).  And you freak out. Why??? It is NOT a human kidney. Duh!  But your mind has told you that it is.  And the terror is fully realized.  You dont need to see him spurting blood while cutting it out, etc etc etc. That isnt scary, that is banal.

But when so and so, sits down to eat at Hannibal's house, you KNOW that the person is about to unknowingly become a cannibal. That alone makes your gorge rise. And it is all in your mind.

shudder

hillary iraq

In her 2014 memoir, "Hard Choices," Clinton changed tack, fessing up and saying that she had relied heavily on prewar intelligence about Saddam's programs to build weapons of mass destruction. "I should have stated my regret sooner and in the plainest, most direct language possible," she wrote. She went on, "I thought I had acted in good faith and made the best decision I could with the information I had. And I wasn't alone in getting it wrong. But I still got it wrong. Plain and simple."

winning in 2016 ... 2015 05 19

Yup. Here's to hoping that Hillary understands now, how Obama beat her, and replicates/copies pretty much everything that was done on the data/internet/tech side of the campaign.  It is clear that the GOP in 2012 read what Obama did, but completely failed to understand how he did it.  And completely failed to execute.

TL;DR - after a quick look, I am much less worried. There is too much risk and too little gain. Only Michigan is a threat right now.

As to the Nebraska model, are there even bills being put forth in states these days?
It could only happen in states with a GOP governor and controlled state house, that is blue ...
This would really only work in swing states.
And you have to wonder ... how much of a risk is this?

Pick Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nevada. Do you concede that you cant win it all, so try to get part? And then only get part of the votes when you win the state?  It would be a giant risk.
Split house - so no chance of a change
Iowa
Virgina

gop control of all - so maybe, but is it really worth the risk??
Floriduh
Nevada
Wisconsin
Ohio


My guess ... is that in the end, there is serious risk in making these changes.
Michigan!
Michigan would be your best bet.
The GOP controls the state, but lost by 10%.  So they have much to gain and little to lose.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/02/vote-electoral-c ol lege-change/19788725/
They were pushing a bill, but tabled it. 
Shudder.

Nevada
http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/
Nevada is already part of the NPV!!
I wonder how much work it would take to repeal that law and replace it with a proportional electoral vote law

obama on SCOTUS

My dream? And it it just a dream. But it makes me wet dreaming it.
President Hillary nominating ex-President Obama to the Supreme Court.
1) he is qualified
2) it would cause 2-10% of the population to burst into flames and die
3) and did I mention that he is qualified?

What better way to protect and extend your legacy (Obamacare), than from KING FOR LIFE SCOTUS seat?
The entertainment alone would never end.
My god the GOP would lose their collective shiat.
Could you imagine Bill O?? LOLOLOLOLOL

Rose Tyler: You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I divide them.

Rose Tyler: Everything must come to dust. All things, everything dies.

Rose Tyler: The time war ends.

The Doctor: Rose, you've done it, now stop.

[Rose stares straight ahead]

The Doctor: Just let go.

Rose Tyler: How can I let go of this? I bring life.

[we see Jack start breathing again and open his eyes]

The Doctor: But this is wrong! You can't control life and death!

Rose Tyler: But I can. The sun and the moon, the day and night... but why do they hurt?

[she is crying]

The Doctor: The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault!

Rose Tyler: I can see everything... all that is... all that was... all that ever could be.

The Doctor: [stands up] But that's what *I* see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?

armstrong and mcclesky

If you are confused or upset about Ferguson and the other police shootings.  This book is a MUST READ. You really dont know what you think you know.

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCleskey_v._Kemp  - "The Court said the "racially disproportionate impact" in Georgia death penalty indicated by a comprehensive scientific study was not enough to overturn the guilty verdict without showing a "racially discriminatory purpose."

HINT: just because the behaviour is INSANELY biased aka 10 times as many blacks as white, you have to show EXPLICIT racial bias AKA the cop calling the person a racial name or an email saying arrest all the black.  Which means you never get to use racial BIAS in court.

2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_prosecution - armstrong 1996 - White drug offenders get sent to state court, and get short sentences, black drug offenders get sent to federal court and crazy long sentences. on the order of a 100 to 1.  In Anderson, SCOTUS ruled that you have to have evidence of bias in order to request discovery of the DA office.  Strange, the DA office has the evidence of the bias, but you cant get it.

TRUST ME ON THIS, I have a friend who works criminal defense in federal court. he is fighting this. TODAY. Literally. He cant even get the data to prove that the DA is biased.

So when you wonder why Justice didnt bring a case against Ferguson, this is why. They would have lost.

OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE FUTURE

 #276  - Having nude pictures of yourself on the internet will be common and irrelevant.
#1234 - The President of the US will have done drugs.

things to NEVER, EVER DO

#1 - DO NOT TEXT AND WALK
#317 - do NOT look at the activity log of your netflix account ... EVER

wikiw edits paradigms

=== Natural sciences ===
Some of the "classical cases" of Kuhnian paradigm shifts in science are:

* 1543 - The transition in [[cosmology]] from a [[Geocentric model|Ptolemaic cosmology]] to a [[Copernican heliocentrism|Copernican]] one.
* The transition in [[optics]] from [[geometrical optics]] to [[physical optics]].
* 1687 - The transition in [[mechanics]] from [[Aristotelian mechanics]] to [[classical mechanics]].
* The acceptance of the theory of [[biogenesis]], that [[omne vivum ex ovo|all life comes from life]], as opposed to the theory of [[spontaneous generation]], which began in the 17th century and was not complete until the 19th century with [[Louis Pasteur]].
* 1543 - The acceptance of the work of [[Andreas Vesalius]], whose work ''[[De humani corporis fabrica]]'' corrected the numerous errors in the previously-held system created by [[Galen]].
* The transition between the worldview of [[Newtonian physics]] and the [[Albert Einstein|Einsteinian]] [[Theory of relativity|relativistic]] worldview.
* 1905 - The development of [[quantum mechanics]], which replaced [[classical mechanics]] at microscopic scales.
* 1905 - The transition from the [[luminiferous aether]] present in [[space]] to [[electromagnetic radiation]] in [[spacetime]].
* 1912 - The acceptance of [[plate tectonics]] as the explanation for large-scale geologic changes.
* The development of [[absolute dating]].
* 1783 - The acceptance of [[Lavoisier]]'s theory of chemical reactions and combustion in place of [[phlogiston theory]], known as the [[Chemical Revolution]].
* 1866 - The acceptance of [[Mendelian inheritance]], as opposed to [[pangenesis]] in the early 20th century

Paradigm Shifts vs Breakthroughs or discoveries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_shift

I THINK that this is what I sort of was looking for.

THanks for forcing me to be more concise with terms to nail it down.

I have been struggling with proper phrasing and words, leading to ... well conversations that are less interesting.

And yes, there are paradigm shifts in society. Women and children as property.

Debt lasting forever and being inherited by the children.

Of course thse shifts are neither perfect, nor universal

the section on natural science has a pretty good list ...

A paradigm shift (or revolutionary science) is, according to Thomas Kuhn, in his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), a change in the basic assumptions, or paradigms, within the ruling theory of science. It is in contrast to his idea of normal science. Normal science is refinements within the paradigm, which have breakthroughs and HUGE CHANGES, but are still within the paradigm.

THIS was the idea that I was looking for ....

And to be clear, people differ on accepting the theory, what really is a paradigm ... etc etc et

and I LOVE THIS ....

and HOW do you show this to your kids?!

HAHA
The Day the Universe Changed

And
Connections.

if they havent, get them NOW, they will LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM