savenetneutrality2017-blog

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Gizmodo: Senate Democrats Promise Vote to Restore Net Neutrality, Call FCC’s Order ‘Un-American’ yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!take that fcc!!! That man with the recees cup is going down!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Gizmodo: FCC Releases Final Text of Order Killing Net Neutrality.

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gentle reminder

you are not alone

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Merry Christmas!

SANTA, NO!

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@people who dont celebrate Christmas

Happy day

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Merry Christmas Everyone!!

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Intro (II) | 2016

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Dear cable news: Knock it off with the dramatic language

By Charles N. Davis, Columbia Journalism Review, December 20, 2017

Fox News Host Jesse Watters recently provided a textbook lesson in the perils of mixing opinion, innuendo, and newsgathering. He began his newscast on Saturday night with a verified piece of news (a veteran FBI agent was fired by Mueller after an investigation revealed that he had sent messages critical of Trump and supportive of Hillary Clinton), then he worked it rhetorically for maximum political gain, using a bland out-word (“may”) to cloud the details even more.

“We may now have proof the investigation was weaponized to destroy [Trump’s] presidency for partisan political purposes and to disenfranchise millions of American voters,” Watters said on his Saturday show, concluding, “Now if that is true, we have a coup on our hands in America.”

Moments later, Watters interviewed White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, above a chyron that read, “A coup in America?”

A coup. Breathtakingly irresponsible. Dangerous, even.

We have no proof that an investigation has been “weaponized”–and not a scintilla of evidence that the Mueller investigation is plotting to disenfranchise voters. But that sort of overheated language is a staple of cable news these days.

How did we reach the point where what should be journalism is, instead, a woefully predictable formula?

And it’s not a partisan problem, either. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, hours later, led Morning with this nugget: “When you’re spreading a message that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and that a Vietnam War hero … [is] launching a coup against the president of the United States, that will … attach to somebody like Timothy McVeigh, and they will take action, and yes, we will know who put those diseased thoughts in their heads.”

This is a shameless, extreme response–claiming that using the term “coup,” however unsuited to anything actually occurring in the United States, will necessarily resurrect Timothy McVeigh.

How did we get here? How did we reach the point where what should be journalism is, instead, a woefully predictable formula that misleads or excites viewers, the public enlightenment be damned?

The simple answer: money.

The slugfest of cable news makes for cheap, endlessly repeatable content. Put two or more people on set and have them yell at one another for a bit, and you feed the 24/7 beast in a cost-efficient way. Real news costs money, demands effort, and requires that newsgatherers distance themselves from faction.

Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, in the timeless work The Elements of Journalism, make the case clearly. If journalism’s first obligation is to truth, and its first loyalty is to citizens, then to fulfill its mission journalism must operate with the goal of verification above all else. Being neutral is not a core principle of journalism, whose practitioners cannot possibly be objective. But their methods should be.

And here we arrive at how a cable news channel could so recklessly throw around a word like “coup” to describe a legal investigation. A cornerstone of journalism is independence from those we cover. But cable news, the staple of so many Americans’ news diets, seldom practices journalism anymore, having sacrificed any semblance of distance from faction in favor of bread and circuses.

Yes, Fox and MSNBC and CNN, all have journalists doing journalism. Yet each one employs shills who spew unverified garbage and do the bidding of political masters. It’s too much to ask of the viewing public to parse it all, to decide what the news is amid innuendo and opinion. Today, the most significant cable-news deliverable is confusion, which disserves the public and violates the profession’s mission.

That’s too high a price to pay, no matter how cheap or endless the content.

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Thought of the Day

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”–W.T. Ellis

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Word of the Day

apricity (n.) (a-PRIS-i-tee)

Apricity, or the warmth of the sun in winter, was first recorded–perhaps even invented, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary suggests–by lexicographer Henry Cockeram in 1623. It must have been simply too perfect to catch on, although the Oxford English Dictionary loyally continues to include it, albeit with the qualifier “obsolete.” Brits who actually live in Oxford assure us it’s not still in regular use over there, so presumably the OED, like many over the years, is hoping beyond hope it can be brought back into popular use.

Used in a sentence: “Venture outside? On a day like this, when the apricity is smothered in gloom? Prithee, sir, I prefer to stay in, eat apricots, and wait for April.”

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7 Tips for Making It Through the Winter

By Jane E. Brody, NY Times, Dec. 26, 2016

The older I get, the harder I find it is to stay warm in winter, indoors or out, and I’m happy to share the measures I’ve found helpful, short of moving to the tropics. You don’t have to be a senior citizen to succumb to the known hazards of winter weather.

* Dress in Layers. Let’s start with the basics: What to wear. Layers of loosefitting clothing trap the body’s natural warmth, and do it best with an insulating inner layer and an outer layer resistant to wind and water. The less body area exposed, the warmer you’ll be. If your clothing gets wet, it loses much if not most of its protection, carrying heat away from the body instead of keeping it in. The warmest down-filled garment is ineffective when wet.

British scientists who studied how people in eastern Siberia protect against the cold found that they typically wear four or more layers of clothing–generally of fur or other thick material–and do not begin to feel the effects of cold until temperatures drop below minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

* Protect the Extremities. Hats that cover the ears (or earmuffs) are vital because the head has little insulation against the cold. Scarves keep the neck and chest warm and can be used to protect the face against wind. Mittens keep hands warmer than gloves, especially if they are fur-lined or heated with rechargeable batteries.

For cold feet, there are lined waterproof boots rated by temperature, as well as battery-heated socks and insoles. Ugg boots are very toasty but many models are not waterproof, and some find them too warm to wear indoors. Slip-resistant soles or cleats can help keep you upright on icy pavement.

* Safeguard Your Health. Stay well hydrated and well nourished, and wash your hands often.

* Shovel Wisely. Snow shoveling is responsible for thousands of injuries and up to 100 deaths each year, and not just among those of us past our prime. Anyone who is not regularly physically active and in good physical condition should hire someone else to do the job. And don’t assume that using a snow blower is safer. It’s a heavy device and pushing it can overtax the heart, especially in the cold.

The National Safety Council offers these tips for safer shoveling: Check with your doctor if you have a history of heart disease; don’t shovel after eating or while smoking; stretch first and start slowly; wherever possible, push rather than lift the snow; if you must lift, don’t overload the shovel and use your legs, not your back to raise it; avoid working to the point of exhaustion; and stop immediately if you feel dizzy or develop tightness in your chest.

* Prepare Your Home. Reduce drafts and lower heating costs by insulating the roof, walls, window sashes and doorframes. Keep your thermostat set at a comfortable temperature during the day–between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degrees on average), depending on the age and health of the occupants. Keep in mind that babies and older adults are often easily chilled.

However, you can save a lot of money if you lower the thermostat and wear warmer clothing indoors. Physical activity also generates body heat, so sit less and move more if possible. Lower the thermostat at night to about 60 degrees, and use pajamas and quilts to keep warm while asleep. I switch to flannel sheets as soon as the outside temperature at night drops below 50.

* Prevent Fires. Fire is a major winter hazard, most often avoidable. Nonetheless, no dwelling should be without a working smoke and carbon monoxide detector (often available in combination). Never use the stove or oven for heat. Instead, invest in a well-designed portable space heater and use it safely, protected from young children and pets. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 40 percent of home heating fires and 84 percent of resulting deaths involve stationary or portable space heaters. Choose only those that shut off immediately if tipped over and use them only on nonflammable, hard, level surfaces. Turn off all space heaters before going to bed. Electric heaters are the only kind safe to use unvented indoors. If you use a fireplace, always protect it with a well-fitted screen to prevent sparks and embers from escaping.

If possible, avoid using extension cords, a frequent cause of house fires. But if you must, make sure cords are modern, are not frayed and are rated for the intended device. Never use one to power a heater or for more than one device.

* Drive Safely. Make sure your vehicle is prepared for winter conditions, with a good battery, tires with good treads that are properly inflated, antifreeze in the radiator, working windshield wipers and plenty of no-freeze window washer fluid.

Automotive items I consider essential, especially when driving in isolated areas or far from home: A fully charged cellphone, preferably with stored emergency numbers; a working flashlight; snow brush, ice scraper and small shovel; flares; one or more blankets; drinking water and snacks or sandwiches.

Practice driving on snow and ice in a safe area. Teach yourself to steer into a skid, a lesson I learned in my early 20s that saved my life when my car skidded on an icy overpass on an interstate in Wisconsin. Make sure you are well rested before getting on the road, and plan to stop in a rest area if you feel sleepy. On long trips, stop, get out of the car, and walk around at least once every three hours.

Don’t leave the car idling with windows closed or while you doze. Needless to say, never drink alcohol before driving, but you might consider having a cup of caffeinated coffee or tea. I take coffee with me in a metal cup that plugs into the car’s power outlet.

Always drive at speeds and distances from other vehicles appropriate for road conditions. It takes longer to stop on ice, snow and water-covered ice. Having to brake hard on a slippery road is an invitation to disaster.

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It occurs to me that there are people who weren’t on this website in 2012 and therefore never saw the magical gif that you can actually hear:

It’s been over five years and that still impresses the hell out of me.

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This article is from 2010, but it touches on Net Neutrality, and threats to the Web. It cites this article in Scientific American (heads up - it’s behind a paywall), where Berners-Lee talks about the importance of the Internet. 

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If net neutrality does get destroyed (which I highly doubt will but just in case,) there are many free VPNs you can install and use to bypass the website blocking and payments.

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So you’re a giant black cat huh?!

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This 2010 article in Scientific American is behind a paywall, but I still thought I’d share. Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the Web and Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)) calls for continued open standards and Net Neutrality.

He wrote that "The goal of the Web is to serve humanity...we build it now so that those who come to it later will be able to create things that we cannot ourselves imagine."

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Holy shit guys! I broke 300 followers!!!

Thank you, everyone, for following me. And don’t forget to keep up the fight for Net Neutrality!!!