He fucked up real bad, and the only way He will be leaving is in cuffs or a bag. The only question is if he manages to hurt or kill anyone in the minutes beforehand.
Churba called it, counter-terrorists win.
However the amount of prejudice and racial tension this has stirred up is annoying and disheartening.
However the amount of prejudice and racial tension this has stirred up is annoying and disheartening.
Well, yeah, but it was more like top trumps, at that point. The moment the PTGs entered the field, it was just a matter of time. Hardly a big call - and really, he's not the one I was particularly worried about.
But look on the bright side - there's also a huge response in the "I'll ride with you" hashtag, people standing together. There's prejudice and nastiness being stirred up, but it's being drowned out by the community banding together for mutual support.
Uber pricing surges, is that done automatically using algorithms or did someone flip a switch?
They refuse to confirm or deny anything on the topic other than that it happens, but it's suspected to be a combination of both, and it's almost certainly a human-verified decision. Response was WAY too slow for it to be an algorthim - the situation started at 8 or so, the plaza was locked down by 8:45, and surge pricing only came online at about 11am - 12PM. Uber stated they were putting it on to encourage more drivers to the area.
Is Facebook on a mobile browser now useless? Are they trying to force us into using the app?
I don't see any way to change my feed to latest from popular.
They force you into doing everything from their app and then try to force you to stay there, e.g. it has an internal browser which will catch external links rather than opening the default browser. Also its impossible to view or respond to messages without their stupid Messenger app major problem if people keep using Facebook Messages instead of using a Github, Hangout, SMS or email.
I've spent more time than I'd like to admit watching my first real snowfall from my balcony tonight.
That doesn't sound like a bad thing, my brother is doing the same thing however in Canada. He's never seen snow fall. He got quite excited about it at first and then just complained about snow and cold in general.
It was absolutely not bad; it was great. We had a short test today, and then we went outside to have a snowball fight.
Call me after you've had to shovel a long driveway. Call me when you've had to dig out a car that is completely buried in snow, and underneath the snow the car is encased in solid ice. Or when you have to walk to work and everything is ridiculously wet. Or when you see people slipping and falling on stairs that are outside. Or when you can't feel your fingers and toes despite wearing gloves, boots, and wool socks.
Meh. This is apparently the first time in 9 years it's snowed like this (maybe four inches). I don't have to drive, Japan doesn't have driveways, the streets and sidewalks were clear, and it wasn't actually that cold. We had fun, but go on being crotchety about the north being northern.
Amusing effects of oil prices and the volatility of the ruble: Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Exxon-Mobil are each worth more than the entire Russian stock market.
Flying in non-US countries is downright pleasant. I didn't have to take off any clothes / shoes or get a pat down, an idol group was performing in the restaurant area, and there's no CNN anywhere.
Flying in non-US countries is downright pleasant. I didn't have to take off any clothes / shoes or get a pat down, an idol group was performing in the restaurant area, and there's no CNN anywhere.
My brother visited the US from Canada for the first time yesterday and he was questioned for half an hour. He's lived in India for a grand total of 5 months out of his 27 years of life.
Y'know, it bugs me that there's no distinction in the American lexicon between the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, and this odd mish mash of largely pagan rituals that is celebrated by secular America. I can't quite get behind the "put the Christ back in Christmas" types, because it's a culture war that has been lost for several decades now, and I see it as a lost cause. Rather, the devout Christians of the country should join together and find a new term for the holiday once known as Christmas, establishing a new fresh religious brand for such celebrations.
I can't quite get behind the "put the Christ back in Christmas" types, because it's a culture war that has been lost for several decades now, and I see it as a lost cause. Rather, the devout Christians of the country should join together and find a new term for the holiday once known as Christmas, establishing a new fresh religious brand for such celebrations.
I mean, Christmas-related traditions and movies and music and such tend to auger my butthole about as much as any other curmudgeonous no-fun Scrooge; but, isn't Christians rebranding Christmas under a new name about as logical as saying the big fans of St Patrick should find some other holiday to celebrate St Patrick than St Patrick's Day, because everyone gets drunk and wears green even if they aren't Irish, Catholic, or even aware or caring of the origin story?
I mean, it'd be one thing to say Halloween could be rebranded to Spooky Costume Day and then having another celebration about harvests and what-not where the pumpkins and farm stuff takes more of a conscious presence in the festivities, like Autumn Harvest Day... but it seems very backwards to reappropiate a holiday that directly references a person or thing, and then expect the people who want to celebrate that named thing, to go do something else if they don't like what you did to the holiday that has nothing to do with the origins.
I'm not saying that's not what may happen in actual fact: but that it's a bit cray-balls McCraycray if it does.
I'm more in line with the idea that Christians should be all too happy to say "yo, go ahead and have your "Winter Holidays" under whatever names you choose: but Christmas is named so because it's about the Christ dude, and so that's sortof the central point of naming the holiday that. Your holiday festivities are cool but we don't recognize them as part of the tradition." And by and large because there are in fact other holidays around this time for other reasons, A: the term "Happy Holidays" makes a fuckload of sense for everyone to embrace as they have because of the myriad of potential celebrations one might observe and B: Christians should be trying to preserve the singular usage of the word Christmas to specifically refer to devout observers devoutly observing a specific holiday ritual under their Christmas brand: They actually devalue their brand by letting it be appropriated as it has been, with the commercial aspects (which some do.) They are not wrong to try to refresh the Christmas brand as a non-secular holiday: much like Hanukkah is not a tradition many outside the Jewish fold bother with or observe (though they can if they want for all I care.)
But, the Christians seem to want to both posses the cake and devour it whole: It's the pride and folly of the many in Christian society (especially in the US though I hear it goes similarly elsewhere) that the winter holiday should always default to Christmas. They want Christmas to be a religious Christian holiday, that is still universally observed. That is the problem (that and inertia of tradition.) Christian groups would be strengthening their case by trying to clarify the distinction between their religious Christmas day and whatever other holiday people want to do that involves gifts and trees and Santa Claus or what-not.
No matter what nomenclature is used however, the music is still annoying and the traditions are strange.
I mean, it'd be one thing to say Halloween could be rebranded to Spooky Costume Day and then having another celebration about harvests and what-not where the pumpkins and farm stuff takes more of a conscious presence in the festivities, like Autumn Harvest Day... but it seems very backwards to reappropiate a holiday that directly references a person or thing, and then expect the people who want to celebrate that named thing, to go do something else if they don't like what you did to the holiday that has nothing to do with the origins.
I'm not saying that's not what may happen in actual fact: but that it's a bit cray-balls McCraycray if it does.
I agree it would be backwards and cray, but it also seems to be the only option for Christians seeking a label that identifies them as celebrating Christ. All major forces in American culture press Santa Claus over Jesus, and have been doing so for so long it's unreasonable to imagine it reversing. It's not what should happen, but it's what must.
I'm more in line with the idea that Christians should be all too happy to say "yo, go ahead and have your "Winter Holidays" under whatever names you choose: but Christmas is named so because it's about the Christ dude, and so that's sortof the central point of naming the holiday that. Your holiday festivities are cool but we don't recognize them as part of the tradition."
The trouble is that then you're telling people what to call what they do, which doesn't go over well. I'd love it if that could happen, but the masses wouldn't give the label Christmas back to the Christians. If we are to have a separation in terminology, we will have to be the ones to adopt the new name.
And by and large because there are in fact other holidays around this time for other reasons, A: the term "Happy Holidays" makes a fuckload of sense for everyone to embrace as they have because of the myriad of potential celebrations one might observe and B: Christians should be trying to preserve the singular usage of the word Christmas to specifically refer to devout observers devoutly observing a specific holiday ritual under their Christmas brand: They actually devalue their brand by letting it be appropriated as it has been, with the commercial aspects (which some do.) They are not wrong to try to refresh the Christmas brand as a non-secular holiday: much like Hanukkah is not a tradition many outside the Jewish fold bother with or observe (though they can if they want for all I care.)
But, the Christians seem to want to both posses the cake and devour it whole: It's the pride and folly of the many in Christian society (especially in the US though I hear it goes similarly elsewhere) that the winter holiday should always default to Christmas. They want Christmas to be a religious Christian holiday, that is still universally observed. That is the problem (that and inertia of tradition.) Christian groups would be strengthening their case by trying to clarify the distinction between their religious Christmas day and whatever other holiday people want to do that involves gifts and trees and Santa Claus or what-not.
None of this actually has anything to do with what I said. Personally, I wish everyone a merry solstice, because that's something you partake in simply by living on this planet.
Comments
However the amount of prejudice and racial tension this has stirred up is annoying and disheartening.
But look on the bright side - there's also a huge response in the "I'll ride with you" hashtag, people standing together. There's prejudice and nastiness being stirred up, but it's being drowned out by the community banding together for mutual support.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=719004368166831&substory_index=0&id=135775283156412
I was happy for the hostages who got away throughout the day but I felt for all the remaining hostages who were that much more fucked as a result.
I don't see any way to change my feed to latest from popular.
http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-mpaas-attempt-to-revive-sopa.html
I mean, it'd be one thing to say Halloween could be rebranded to Spooky Costume Day and then having another celebration about harvests and what-not where the pumpkins and farm stuff takes more of a conscious presence in the festivities, like Autumn Harvest Day... but it seems very backwards to reappropiate a holiday that directly references a person or thing, and then expect the people who want to celebrate that named thing, to go do something else if they don't like what you did to the holiday that has nothing to do with the origins.
I'm not saying that's not what may happen in actual fact: but that it's a bit cray-balls McCraycray if it does.
I'm more in line with the idea that Christians should be all too happy to say "yo, go ahead and have your "Winter Holidays" under whatever names you choose: but Christmas is named so because it's about the Christ dude, and so that's sortof the central point of naming the holiday that. Your holiday festivities are cool but we don't recognize them as part of the tradition." And by and large because there are in fact other holidays around this time for other reasons, A: the term "Happy Holidays" makes a fuckload of sense for everyone to embrace as they have because of the myriad of potential celebrations one might observe and B: Christians should be trying to preserve the singular usage of the word Christmas to specifically refer to devout observers devoutly observing a specific holiday ritual under their Christmas brand: They actually devalue their brand by letting it be appropriated as it has been, with the commercial aspects (which some do.) They are not wrong to try to refresh the Christmas brand as a non-secular holiday: much like Hanukkah is not a tradition many outside the Jewish fold bother with or observe (though they can if they want for all I care.)
But, the Christians seem to want to both posses the cake and devour it whole: It's the pride and folly of the many in Christian society (especially in the US though I hear it goes similarly elsewhere) that the winter holiday should always default to Christmas. They want Christmas to be a religious Christian holiday, that is still universally observed. That is the problem (that and inertia of tradition.) Christian groups would be strengthening their case by trying to clarify the distinction between their religious Christmas day and whatever other holiday people want to do that involves gifts and trees and Santa Claus or what-not.
No matter what nomenclature is used however, the music is still annoying and the traditions are strange.