Month: June 2014

Shocking revelation on polar bear numbers!

No, not that researchers have been underestimating the number of polar bears….

Researchers with the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) recently admitted to experienced zoologist and polar bear specialist Susan Crockford that the estimate given for the total number of polar bars in the Arctic was simply a qualified guess given to satisfy public demand.

…everybody kind of knew that already. No, what’s shocking is that it made Fark. Under the ‘Obvious’ tag, no less.  Not that Fark’s commenters are particularly prepared to accept said tag…

Moe Lane

Bunch of primaries this week.

Iowa and Mississippi are probably the most interesting to my readers, but there’s also ones in Alabama, California, Montana, New Jersey (special election primary there too for NJ-01), New Mexico and South Dakota (list via The Green Papers). Keep an eye on New Mexico: it’ll be interesting to see whether New Mexico Democrats will reward that Alan Webber fellow for his race-baiting of Susana Martinez. I’m betting ‘yes,’ but not to the point of actually putting up money on it.

People shocked to discover that Iraq picked up democracy via usual osmosis process.

I must be honest: I am shaking my head at the sense of wonder found in this essay on Iraqi electoral progress.

By far the most important thing about the preliminary results of Iraq’s April 30 parliamentary election is the nature of the conversation that is now taking place about them. It is a conversation about what it means for a sitting Prime Minister when he wins less than 30 percent of the vote but does much better than his rivals—and about whether Iraq’s next government should be one of broad national unity or formed on the basis of a simple majority. It is a conversation about deliciously esoteric and endlessly iterative matters of parliamentary arithmetic in a place where no identity group is close to monolithic and where almost any of the ten main factions is capable of working with any other. Continue reading People shocked to discover that Iraq picked up democracy via usual osmosis process.

So I picked up The Obituarist, on @GregStolze’s suggestion.

Well, not Greg Stolze’s personal suggestion: I don’t have that kind of presence in the gaming community. But he recommended the crime novella by Patrick O’Duffy:

…so I figured that I’d give The Obituarist a shot.

I liked it: it was a nice, tight crime story on a subject you don’t often see*, with a twist I didn’t expect and lively reading. Well worth the three bucks that I shelled out for it.

Moe Lane

*Essentially, the title character cleans up dead people’s online presence, the better to prevent identity theft.  Which, indeed, is a topic the title character knows something about.

Barack Obama hides behind signing statements to justify #Bergdahl / Taliban swap.

So, it turns out that the Obama administration was legally required to at least notify Congress before it actually traded Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban terrorist commanders*:

Lawmakers were not notified of the Guantanamo detainees’ transfer until after it occurred.

The law requires the defense secretary to notify relevant congressional committees at least 30 days before making any transfers of prisoners, to explain the reason and to provide assurances that those released would not be in a position to reengage in activities that could threaten the United States or its interests.

Continue reading Barack Obama hides behind signing statements to justify #Bergdahl / Taliban swap.

‘Birth of the International Touring Organ.’

This is going around, and I found it an utterly engrossing six minutes of Wait, what? A mere description would be a disservice to my readers: some things must simply be experienced to be believed. Not that I would blame any of you for not believing this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLzgFkouSmc

…I’m still not sure that it’s not the greatest practical joke ever played on, or by, Sony Classical ever.