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Famed Comic Book Figure Archie Andrews To Die In Gun Control Storyline
Via Addicting Info, some sad news about a longtime comic book figure, who goes out heroically in a story about gun control: Comic books are taking a political turn toward the serious. In two days, comic book star of Life With Archie, Archie Andrews, is going to die. Wednesday, the freckled hero will be shot down thwarting an assassination attempt on his best friend, newly elected Sen. Kevin Keller, over the gun rights issue. Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO Jon Goldwater said: "The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie. He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It's what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years." Mashable reports: "[Keller] is a married military veteran and newly elected senator who's pushing for more gun control in Riverdale after his husband was involved in a shooting." The first gay character in the Archie Comics series, Keller debuted in the spinoff, Veronica in 2010, alongside traditionally known characters such as Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper. Keller later even carried his own, separate comic. Now, lead character Archie will lay down his life to save him.
Comic books are taking a political turn toward the serious. In two days, comic book star of Life With Archie, Archie Andrews, is going to die. Wednesday, the freckled hero will be shot down thwarting an assassination attempt on his best friend, newly elected Sen. Kevin Keller, over the gun rights issue.
Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO Jon Goldwater said:
"The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie. He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It's what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years."
Mashable reports:
"[Keller] is a married military veteran and newly elected senator who's pushing for more gun control in Riverdale after his husband was involved in a shooting."
The first gay character in the Archie Comics series, Keller debuted in the spinoff, Veronica in 2010, alongside traditionally known characters such as Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper. Keller later even carried his own, separate comic. Now, lead character Archie will lay down his life to save him.
Interesting times we live in.
As for Keller:
PC running out of control. Parent
We all should buy the new Archie. For old times' sake, and in honor of the human progress made to new times' sake. Parent
Overstating a point is often used as a tool to teach and influence....but....
I mean really...We are supposed to take that seriously?? Our kids are too smart for such. A gay married couple who were living quietly while running a small business who are active in their church and school would be more believable, and accurate characters. Parent
Trust me, nobody would be reading it if they lived as quiet as church mice . . . there's no story there. Parent
Target in what manner? I don't see your point there. As in being shot??
Of course since the purpose is obviously to push gay rights, etc., who is the audience? Given that gays are around 3% of the population, the answer must be that to survive, the comic must be purchased, assuming it is not being subsidized, by the general population.
So a gay married Senator campaigning against guns, or as the Right will say, against the Second Amendment, should make better copy.
OTOH, if we made Keller trying to qualify for a concealed carry license to protect his wife who was shot while leaving a meeting of the Log Cabin Republicans then the appeal is broadened.
Probably get approved of by the NRA.
Do I hear an Amen??
lol Parent
BTW, Keller's husband would be shot leaving the LCR, not his wife as he didn't just 'turn gay' for this issue. And I'm kinda thinking they wouldn't be at that meeting in the first place, so, story rejected ;) Also, the comic folks know their (very vocal) audience, so your story line wouldn't necessarily broaden the appeal. Parent
And you have confused me. Is Keller the husband or the wife? Either way you ramble when trying to ignore my point. But are you trying to say that his wife couldn't attend the LCR?
And why couldn't they be at that meeting?? Seems a bit bigoted for you to decide they must Demo, or does the comic note their party?? Of course since its a comic book it must be Demo... lol Parent
What Shaw means is that as an unreasonable man, you are not the agent of change. Rather, you're the one who is retarding the scene, not enhancing it, and that if we are to actually make progress, then we need to either stop paying attention to you, or rid ourselves of you.
Aloha. Parent
There are people who push against the status quo to move things forward, and those who push against progress to preserve the status quo.
Those who feel safe and comfortable in the bubble of the status quo are going to regard those not content to run in place as "unreasonable," but I think you are mistaking "unreasonable" for "uncomfortable."
I'm not surprised you are expressing this point of view; you are at your most prickly and agitated when the more liberal commenters here express their dissatisfaction with the "reasonableness" of the neo-liberal, DLC/Third Way conventions that seem to have taken over the Democratic Party. Parent
"I, as a Socialist, have had to preach, as much as anyone, the enormous power of the environment. We can change it; we must change it; there is absolutely no other sense in life than the task of changing it. What is the use of writing plays, what is the use of writing anything, if there is not a will which finally moulds chaos itself into a race of gods." (Collected Letters. Dan H. Laurence, editor. Dodd, Mead & Company, 1972.)
Shaw was hardly a cheerleader for conservatism and its perpetuation of the socio-economic status quo. Rather, he saw its proponents as inherently unreasonable in their never-ending quest for political relevance and self-preservation, which rendered them an active barrier to social progress.
Thus, Shaw argues that our ability to achieve meaningful and lasting change in our society is entirely dependent upon our capacity to either change the mind of the unreasonable man, or find some means to bypass him altogether.
Yowza. Parent
He is smarter than everyone.
Just ask him and he'll tell you. Parent
: - ) Parent
But I don't think I, as a 14 year old, was aware of
"socio-economic status."
But I confess that good looking brunette's with lots of money presented a great temptation.
;-) Parent
a very intelligent socially aware youth....
Never read Archie comix any more than they do now.
They were the ones you hid when your friends came over and no doubt they still are. Parent
You know, that free-market capitalism thing. Parent
Of course Mickey comes from a right-wing establishment, so the cause for which his existence might be forfeited would probably not be to my liking. Parent
I gasped, that song is from Bambi. Josh says he doesn't know anything about Bambi. All he knows is that HER mother was killed by hunters :) Parent
Origin and Meaning of the Name Bambi Meaning:Little girl Origin:Italian Gender:Girl
link Parent
I suppose it could also be short for Bambino, but nobody else seems to agree. Parent
But hyperbole on this blog makes for better copy.
Bambi, a Life in the Woods, originally published in Austria as Bambi. Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde, is a 1923 Austrian novel written by Felix Salten and published by Ullstein Verlag. The novel traces the life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father and experience about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest. An English translation by Whittaker Chambers was published in North America by Simon & Schuster in 1928,[1] and the novel has since been translated and published in over 20 languages around the world. Salten released a sequel, Bambis Kinder, eine Familie im Walde (Bambi's Children), in 1939. The novel was well received by critics and is considered a classic, as well as one of the first environmental novels ever published. It was adapted into a theatrical animated film, Bambi, by Walt Disney Studios in 1942, two Russian live-action adaptations in 1985 and 1986, and a stage production in 1998. A ballet adaptation was written by an Oregon troupe, but never released. Janet Schulman released a children's picture book adaptation in 2000 that featured realistic oil-paintings and many of Salten's original words.
The novel was well received by critics and is considered a classic, as well as one of the first environmental novels ever published. It was adapted into a theatrical animated film, Bambi, by Walt Disney Studios in 1942, two Russian live-action adaptations in 1985 and 1986, and a stage production in 1998. A ballet adaptation was written by an Oregon troupe, but never released. Janet Schulman released a children's picture book adaptation in 2000 that featured realistic oil-paintings and many of Salten's original words.
Great example is the Disney version of "Cinderella". It was taken from an old tale collected by the brothers Grimm. It was called "Ashputtle" and there's no fairy godmother. And the prince carries away the wrong bride - twice. Each stepsister cuts off part of her foot to squeeze one into the slipper before finally getting the true bride.
Then the special birds in a tree sing:
Rook di goo, rook di goo! There's blood in the shoe. The shoe is too tight, This bride is not right!
Until Ashputtle when they sing:
Rook di goo, rook di goo! No blood's in the shoe. The shoe's not too tight, This bride is right!
Link Parent
Just out of curiosity, jbindc, did you read the book before you saw or heard of the movie?
If so, I believe you belong to a very small minority of people regarding Bambi. Parent
But even if only a small minority of people had heard of the book, it seems like a canyon-sized leap to say that Disney "emasculated" Bambi. Parent
other than that the name Bambi is feminine and Disney made him a feminine caricature, unlike a boy named Sue. Parent
Google says "yes".
The mind, she is boggled now. Parent
The Bambi Awards are given as the highest awards in media and television in Germany.
The Bambi,[1] often simply called Bambi Awards and stylised as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognise excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year,"[2] both domestic and foreign.[2] First held in 1948, they are the oldest media awards in Germany. The award is named after Felix Salten's book Bambi, A Life in the Woods and its statuettes are in the shape of the novel's titular fawn character.[2] They were originally made of porcelain, until 1958 when the organizers switched to using gold, with the casting done by the art casting workshop of Ernst Strassacker in Süßen.
So it's not really embarassing or "emasculating". It's considered an honor. Parent
Anyway, the offscreen decadence at Disney studios clearly belies its characters' scrupulously maintained public images. We all know about what happened to Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus. But most people are completely unaware how Disney has long used its child stars for its own ends, only to callously dump them when they're of no further use.
Further, there's documented evidence of other outrageous behavior exhibited by Disney veterans. If people only knew what really goes on there! It's positively shocking, a Hollywood scandal waiting to unfold.
;-D Parent
The first question was " what do you do?" To which I said " it's my job to insert the subliminal sexual messages." The kid who asked the question was like "oh! Cool". And nods of approval went around the room.
True story. Parent
ABC News routinely gets blasted as having a "liberal bias".
Disney offered doemstic partnership benefits to gay couples way back before it was cool.
Disney regularly has boycotts against it by evangelical religious groups for the movies they produce (see: Dogma).
Do they act in every way that a liberal would love? No, they have been routinely criticized for their environmental impact, and accused of human rights violations against the workers who make their products, as well as accusations of animal cruelty.
But right wing??? Parent
(Indeed, Disney's animated 1932 short feature "The Three Little Pigs" has long been cited by cultural historians for harboring anti-Semitic overtones in its original form, with the Big Bad Wolf in one of his guises assuming the role of a Jewish street peddler, a then-common urban stereotype. That particular scene was subsequently re-animated years later in response to public complaints, so that the Wolf now appears as a Fuller Brush salesman. And don't get me started on what was wrong with the 1957 full-length feature "Song of the South.")
Walt Disney was also one of the prominent founders of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a Red-baiting organization that unfortunately also proved virulently anti-Semitic when its members willfully failed to distinguish Jews from communists. And further, he was one of the very few Hollywood figures who proved a willing participant in the postwar political witchhunts conducted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
To this day, many people still wrongly conflate Walt Disney the right-wing bigot with the company he co-founded, even though Walt's nephew Roy E. Disney, who assumed an active role in running the company after the former's death in 1966, proved a much more visionary artist and inclusive businessman than was his uncle.
My own maternal grandmother was one of those who long refused to ever see Walt Disney the company and Walt Disney the man as anything other than one and the same. She despised Mr. Disney with a passion, because her younger brother was long a prominent cartoonist in the Disney fold for over 20 years until he died at work in 1961 from a heart attack -- and quite frankly, he was very poorly compensated for his considerable efforts, as were his peers.
She blamed Walt Disney for having worked him to death -- admittedly, that's a claim fueled more by emotion than based upon actual evidence -- and for blatantly exploiting the labor of others to his own personal benefit, which is in fact well-documented. And even though she lived in Southern California, she refused to ever set foot in Disneyland or watch a Disney movie after her brother's death.
I asked someone who worked at Disney howcome. It was all those costume makers and artists. Disney did not want to offend its employees. Parent
As in they want to grab as much green as possible and party with it.
But seriously, they have the same guiding philosophy as any other mega-corporation these days--make as much money as possible without the people at the top actually going to jail. Parent
His defenders say he is being pilloried because of his staunch opposition to homosexuality, spending more than $650,000 in church funds in 2012 to campaign for a state constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage. The amendment ultimately failed. In his previous post, as bishop of the New Ulm Diocese, he advised parishioners against seeing the film "Brokeback Mountain," a story about two gay cowboys, which he saw as a "human tragedy" about succumbing to lust.
In his previous post, as bishop of the New Ulm Diocese, he advised parishioners against seeing the film "Brokeback Mountain," a story about two gay cowboys, which he saw as a "human tragedy" about succumbing to lust.
"Multiple allegations" against the Archbishop, himself, were reported in the Catholic Commonweal. And, these allegations (which were denied by Nienstedt as "absolutely and entirely false") are subject to an internal diocese investigation. This investigation is ongoing.
These allegations are not to be confused with the investigation into allegations that Nienstedt groped a boy during a public event--a Confirmation. Ramsey County Attorney found insufficient evidence following his investigation of that matter. However, the County prosecutor has re-opened that investigation. It seems, to me, that the signature issue of the Archbishop's episcopate is hypocrisy. Parent
Miami Herald | July 13, 2014 Walmart planned for endangered forest lands in South Florida - "One of the world's rarest forests, a section of Miami-Dade County's last intact tracts of endangered pine rockland, is getting a new resident: a Walmart. About 88 acres of rockland, a globally imperiled habitat containing a menagerie of plants, animals and insects found no place else, was sold this month by the University of Miami to a Palm Beach County developer. To secure permission for the 158,000-square-foot box store, plus an LA Fitness center, Chik-fil-A and Chili's restaurants and about 900 apartments, the university and the developer, Ram, agreed to set aside 40 acres for a preserve. Ram also plans to develop 35 adjacent acres still owned by the university. But with less than 2 percent of the vast savanna that once covered South Florida's spiny ridge remaining, the deal has left environmentalists and biologists scratching their heads."
Oy caramba.
It's been a blimp base, military housing, and now most of it is a zoo. If you drove by you wouldn't even notice as you'd be past the "forest" in less than 15 seconds. Parent
Bell also became honorary secretary of the British Women's Anti-Suffrage League. Her stated reason for her anti-suffrage stand was that as long as women felt that the kitchen and the bedroom were their only domains, they were truly unprepared to take part in deciding how a nation should be ruled.
Clearly be right at home in the modern GOP Parent
Therefore, one can argue that Miss Bell's role as an anti-suffragette was merely a self-projection of her own personal inadequacies, since she herself was obviously unprepared to take part in deciding how a nation should be ruled.
Weird summer. Weird winter coming no doubt.
That's just weird. Parent
So it is with the polar vortex. Since Friday, television news anchors and meteorologists on TV and online have been warning about a polar vortex that was crashing down from the Arctic across Canada and would bring record cold temperatures into the upper central U.S. today, tomorrow and Wednesday. Yes, the very same polar vortex that put the same region, as well as the Northeast, into a deep-freeze this past winter. The one difference: the record lows would be 52 degrees F, or maybe 50 or 48. In the name of science, other meteorologists went on Twitter and began to plead with their colleagues to not call this drifting southward of cool air a polar vortex, a few adding their cries to the hashtags #StopPolarVortexAbuse and #NotPolarVortex. Some of the admonishments present serious science. Others are just funny.
The one difference: the record lows would be 52 degrees F, or maybe 50 or 48.
In the name of science, other meteorologists went on Twitter and began to plead with their colleagues to not call this drifting southward of cool air a polar vortex, a few adding their cries to the hashtags #StopPolarVortexAbuse and #NotPolarVortex. Some of the admonishments present serious science. Others are just funny.
Andy Serkis Vs. Visual Effects Animators: The Wrong Fight For Both Sides
For those joining this fight in the middle, here's a summary of the action so far: Serkis gave an interview to a website in which he offered his take on the state of performance capture. He talked about the improvements in the process, saying "It's a given that they absolutely copy (the performance) to the letter, to the point in effect what they are doing is painting digital makeup onto actors' performances." Serkis's quote was picked up by an animation website that ran a story with the headline "Andy Serkis Does Everything, Animators Do Nothing, Says Andy Serkis." Incendiary headline? Well, if so, it set exactly the fire it was meant to. Serkis became a pariah among many vfx artists and an object of ridicule on social media. Look, I know you vfx pros are feeling disrespected. And you are disrespected. Probably no craft in Hollywood history has ever received so little for contributions so great. Your compensation has shrunk and your fringes have withered. You face many of the same problems as itinerant actors, but without the protections of a union or guild. But in this argument, you are asking for a level of respect no craft gets. Film actors have never been solo authors of their performance. They don't choose the takes that make it into the film or what's left on the cutting room floor. They don't write their words or stage their scenes. That line that everybody still remembers? Written by some schmuck with an Underwood, er, Macbook. That shot that created a sex symbol? The d.p. hid the blemishes. That hilarious reaction shot? Could have been cut in from another scene. That tear rolling down their cheek? Might be digital.
Serkis's quote was picked up by an animation website that ran a story with the headline "Andy Serkis Does Everything, Animators Do Nothing, Says Andy Serkis." Incendiary headline? Well, if so, it set exactly the fire it was meant to. Serkis became a pariah among many vfx artists and an object of ridicule on social media.
Look, I know you vfx pros are feeling disrespected. And you are disrespected. Probably no craft in Hollywood history has ever received so little for contributions so great. Your compensation has shrunk and your fringes have withered. You face many of the same problems as itinerant actors, but without the protections of a union or guild.
But in this argument, you are asking for a level of respect no craft gets.
Film actors have never been solo authors of their performance. They don't choose the takes that make it into the film or what's left on the cutting room floor. They don't write their words or stage their scenes. That line that everybody still remembers? Written by some schmuck with an Underwood, er, Macbook. That shot that created a sex symbol? The d.p. hid the blemishes. That hilarious reaction shot? Could have been cut in from another scene. That tear rolling down their cheek? Might be digital.
NSFW Parent
And
Sanpaku
Sanpaku gan (三白眼?) or Sanpaku (三白?) is originated from a Chinese term, as well as a Japanese term means "three whites" and is generally referred to in English as "Sanpaku eyes". The term refers to eyes in which the white space above or below the iris is visible. When the bottom of the white part of the eye, known as the sclera, is visible it is referred to as 'Yin Sanpaku' in Chinese lore. According to the myth, it represents physical imbalance in the body and is claimed to be present in alcoholics, drug addicts and people who overconsume sugar or grain. Conversely when the upper sclera is visible this is called 'Yang Sanpaku'. This is said to be an indication of mental imbalance in people such as psychotics, murderers, and anyone rageful.
Sanpaku gan (三白眼?) or Sanpaku (三白?) is originated from a Chinese term, as well as a Japanese term means "three whites" and is generally referred to in English as "Sanpaku eyes". The term refers to eyes in which the white space above or below the iris is visible.
When the bottom of the white part of the eye, known as the sclera, is visible it is referred to as 'Yin Sanpaku' in Chinese lore. According to the myth, it represents physical imbalance in the body and is claimed to be present in alcoholics, drug addicts and people who overconsume sugar or grain. Conversely when the upper sclera is visible this is called 'Yang Sanpaku'. This is said to be an indication of mental imbalance in people such as psychotics, murderers, and anyone rageful.
It would be ok but the weather people say we will pay for the lovely summer with a brutal winter. Way worse than last which sucked.
My friends on the west coast say shut up and enjoy it. Fine, but they have to come and visit in February. Parent
I like the rain -- just not all at once. Parent
Sounds pretty nice. Parent
Gotta figure out a way to live in the Virgin Islands ... Parent
Open your windows and enjoy the gift of cool night air! Parent
HAPPY WEDNESDAY
Me, I would be living in the wine state! :D Parent
Now, I'm going to put on my legislative analyst's hat. Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that you are correct that CA voters may well approve such an initiative to split their state into six autonomous entities.
At that point, according to the terms of the initiative, Gov. Jerry Brown would be required to submit the voters' proposal for dissolution of California and its reconstitution into six separate states to Congress by no later than January 1, 2018. Congress would then have exactly one year to act on the proposal and pass it, or it expires on January 1, 2019. Assuming that it then passes, it would then require the approval of the White House, and a congressional override should the president veto the measure.
Once all that happens, each new state would have to convene a constitutional convention to draft a state constitution, which must also be accepted by Congress before statehood can be conferred.
Wait a minute, I'm not done. Through November 15, 2017, the measure would also allow any county --- subject to the approval of that county's voters via referendum --- to adopt an ordinance allowing it to be reassigned from the state in which it is placed by this measure, to one of the other five proposed states.
This could only occur, however, if the reassigned state's borders are immediately adjacent to those of the county in question, and then, only if a majority of the boards of supervisors of the all the other counties in the reassigned state approve of that change.
Further, each of California's 58 counties would have to adopt entirely new charters relative to the new states of which they'd be part, all of which would be subject to respective county voter approval, and then, as those counties are assigned to their respective state, approval for that would have to be obtained as well, most likely from the county boards of supervisors.
Hold on, I'm still not done. The California State Legislature would have to provide for the creation of a 24-member Board of Commissioners for a term of no more than 24 months, which would be required to "settle and adjust the property and financial affairs" between the existing state and the six new states.
This would require the disposition of each of the State of California's physical and other assets --- as well as division of the former state's financial and other liabilities --- among the six new states. As an example, California has two statewide university systems, the University of California and the California State University. Each of those systems would be required to dissolve.
If the Board of Commissioners fail to reach resolution before the end of that 24 months, the measure states that California's state debts would be distributed among the new states based on population and the assets of the former California within each new state's boundaries would become an asset of that new state.
We're now in the home stretch. There will be the inevitable court challenges, by which litigants would question the validity of this proposal along several lines, including ones related to the distribution of California's assets and liabilities, the provision of public services among the six states, and constitutional issues related to congressional approval of the new states.
Such court cases will persist for an awfully long time, and probably last beyond our own lifetimes. The protracted legal wrangling between Virginia and West Virginia over the latter's share of state debt, which dated back to its 1863 secession from the Commonwealth of Virginia and Civil War-era statehood -- was never completely resolved until 1916, and several cases went to the U.S. Supreme Court for adjudication.
Additionally, a probably lawsuit would concern whether this is an initiative measure -- as the text of this measure clearly states -- or an actual revision of the California Constitution, because for our purposes here, the two are not one and the same. A revision is often much broader in scope than an initiative measure, and any change or amendment that substantively alters the basic governmental framework of the State of California is considered a constitutional revision.
Under the California Constitution, such revisions may only be proposed by either the State Legislature or by a duly convened state constitutional convention. Further, any proposed revision that is initially approved by either body is then further subject to public approval via a statewide voter referendum.
Does your head hurt yet? If not, then wrap it around this: According to the California Legislative Analyst's office, the plan would also lead to the creation of the richest state in the country (Silicon Valley) and the poorest state in the country (Central California), which would have a per capita personal income well below even that currently found in Mississippi. These income disparities would also translate into widely divergent tax bases, and the regional disparities would invariably affect various fiscal and policy decisions of each of the six states.
Good luck with wading through all that. If anyone would like to hear more, I'd be happy to discuss the vast and obvious disparities in education, health and human services, etc., water rights, which would exist in the new states. I love talking about this sort of stuff. This is my turf, so to speak.
That said, I think you know as well as I do that none of this is ever going to happen. The latest poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows that 59% of California voters already disapprove of this prospective measure. And that number can only go up, as people like me begin to explain to those voters exactly what they'd be in for, should they collectively drop acid and decide to embrace the stupid.
So, this silly idea is really nothing but a complete waste of everyone's time -- including that of Tim Draper, that dim bulb of a venture capitalist who's about to learn the validity of an old adage about a fool and his money soon being parted. And while we're on the subject of fleecing, I'm sure kdog probably has a couple of bridges spanning the Hudson that this clown might be interested in, as well.
And candidate Gary Coleman. Parent
Current Gov. Jerry Brown, who's led California out of the fiscal weeds into its present robust recovery, presently enjoys a very healthy approval rating, and has a nearly 30-point lead over his GOP opponent, Neel Kashkari, in the polls. That race has "landslide" written all over it. Hell, even the friggin' California Legislature has a positive approval rating these days -- 46% yea, 40% nay!
Secondly, -- well, I think I'll let the man speak for himself. Meet Tim Draper, the man behind the proposal. You should post this link on that Facebook page you were talking about, and let people there just absorb and contemplate the ooze. Is this a guy they'd trust with the state's future?
A toast to Tim Draper, a real grade-A fruitcake. Parent
This silly initiative might well qualify for the ballot, given the relatively low number of signatures required, but it'll certainly be laughed off by California voters in November and get shot down in flames. And afterward, all these clowns will have to show for their wasted time and effort will be bank accounts emptied of a few precious million dollars, which was spent to gather signatures in the first place. That's money which could've been much better spent elsewhere on other things, where it would have done the CA GOP a lot more good.
The problem is, after the consecutive disasters that were Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Meg Whitman's subsequent self-financed ($180 million!) 2010 gubernatorial campaign, California Republicans are no longer fooling anyone in their state with this sort of nonsense, except their own increasingly delusional base and themselves. And yet, they'll continue to wonder why and how they've slipped so precipitously from majority party status only 20 years ago, to practically irrelevant today. Rule No. 1 when you find yourself in a deep hole: Stop digging.
Should make tax time fun for some commuters . . . Parent
Too funny.
That said, this bozo's certainly electable. By all rights, this sort of noxious stunt should otherwise turn most sane voters off, but after all, this IS Arizona we're talking about -- and as I've noted before, you can't spell "CRAZY" without the "AZ."
But were he running in a blue or purple state, he's be considered as way out there on the fringes, and treated accordingly by voters at the polls.
Hibbing and his colleagues make an intriguing argument in their latest paper, but what's truly fascinating is what happened next. Twenty-six different scholars or groups of scholars then got an opportunity to tee off on the paper, firing off a variety of responses. But as Hibbing and colleagues note in their final reply, out of those responses, "22 or 23 accept the general idea" of a conservative negativity bias, and simply add commentary to aid in the process of "modifying it, expanding on it, specifying where it does and does not work," and so on. Only about three scholars or groups of scholars seem to reject the idea entirely. That's pretty extraordinary, when you think about it. After all, one of the teams of commenters includes New York University social psychologist John Jost, who drew considerable political ire in 2003 when he and his colleagues published a synthesis of existing psychological studies on ideology, suggesting that conservatives are characterized by traits such as a need for certainty and an intolerance of ambiguity. Now, writing in Behavioral and Brain Sciences in response to Hibbing roughly a decade later, Jost and fellow scholars note that There is by now evidence from a variety of laboratories around the world using a variety of methodological techniques leading to the virtually inescapable conclusion that the cognitive-motivational styles of leftists and rightists are quite different. This research consistently finds that conservatism is positively associated with heightened epistemic concerns for order, structure, closure, certainty, consistency, simplicity, and familiarity, as well as existential concerns such as perceptions of danger, sensitivity to threat, and death anxiety. [Italics added] Back in 2003, Jost and his team were blasted by Ann Coulter, George Will, and National Review for saying this; congressional Republicans began probing into their research grants; and they got lots of hate mail. But what's clear is that today, they've more or less triumphed. They won a field of converts to their view and sparked a wave of new research, including the work of Hibbing and his team.
That's pretty extraordinary, when you think about it. After all, one of the teams of commenters includes New York University social psychologist John Jost, who drew considerable political ire in 2003 when he and his colleagues published a synthesis of existing psychological studies on ideology, suggesting that conservatives are characterized by traits such as a need for certainty and an intolerance of ambiguity. Now, writing in Behavioral and Brain Sciences in response to Hibbing roughly a decade later, Jost and fellow scholars note that
There is by now evidence from a variety of laboratories around the world using a variety of methodological techniques leading to the virtually inescapable conclusion that the cognitive-motivational styles of leftists and rightists are quite different. This research consistently finds that conservatism is positively associated with heightened epistemic concerns for order, structure, closure, certainty, consistency, simplicity, and familiarity, as well as existential concerns such as perceptions of danger, sensitivity to threat, and death anxiety. [Italics added]
Back in 2003, Jost and his team were blasted by Ann Coulter, George Will, and National Review for saying this; congressional Republicans began probing into their research grants; and they got lots of hate mail. But what's clear is that today, they've more or less triumphed. They won a field of converts to their view and sparked a wave of new research, including the work of Hibbing and his team.
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Don't get that. Do they have a quota or something?
Speaking of this sort of thing, and despite being on the Do Not Call list, we get a lot of computer-generated, robo-call-style calls coming into our house, for everything from alarm systems to mortgage interest reductions to home improvements. The "calls" are just messages - there is no human on the other end - so in order to get them to stop, you have to call them back.
When I called one company back to ask them to please stop calling us, I asked how they could get away with calling when I put all our numbers on the Do Not Call List in order to avoid being badgered and bothered like this. I was told that these calls don't violate DNC because they are simply offering information, and leaving it up to the recipient to respond if interested.
It still annoys me that it just never seems to stop. Parent
One thing I have noticed is that probably more than half the calls I get - at least the ones that leave messages- are for someone else. Seems to be a couple different names. I assume they had the cell number before me.
Anyway, since I just don't answer they don't really bother me that much. . Parent
Shame shame shame on the dime-dropper and the authorities...if this kid was "abandoned", I was abandoned for my whole damn childhood, and look how good I turned out. "Concerned citizens" have me concerned y'all.
A very harmful dose of paranoia this is...the poor working mom locked up, and the poor daughter traumatized for no good reason. Parent