Categories
A tale of two arrests
Category: The Current Situation
The people who use “woke” as a term of derision are the same as those who used (or still use) the term “politically correct” for the same reason:
I think Mike Godwin — yes, the Godwin after whom “Godwin’s Law” is named — is right when he says this:
Or, to quote Neil Gaiman on “woke’s” predecessor, political correctness:
I was reading a book (about interjections, oddly enough) yesterday which included the phrase “In these days of political correctness…” talking about no longer making jokes that denigrated people for their culture or for the colour of their skin. And I thought, “That’s not actually anything to do with ‘political correctness’. That’s just treating other people with respect.”
Which made me oddly happy. I started imagining a world in which we replaced the phrase “politically correct” wherever we could with “treating other people with respect”, and it made me smile.
You should try it. It’s peculiarly enlightening.
I know what you’re thinking now. You’re thinking “Oh my god, that’s treating other people with respect gone mad!”
“Fuck around and find out,” the expression goes, and with the recent derailment and explosion of a train with tanker cars full of vinyl chloride near East Palestine, Ohio, we’re definitely in the “find out” phase.
(In case you were wondering, most of the vinyl chloride made is used to produce its cousin, polyvinyl chloride, a.k.a. PVC, which is used to make lots of things.)
The “fuck around” part is from a few years back, in the United States conducted an experiment in democracy by putting a trollish narcissistic con man at the head of the Executive Branch. It appears to have been one of many measures meant to undo legislation and other changes from the administration of Barack Obama, for whom Trump held great contempt (and made no secret of it). You can find out more in these articles:
- Fortune, September 24, 2018: Trump Rolls Back Train-Braking Rule Meant to Keep Oil Tankers from Exploding Near Communities
- Oregon Public Braodcasting, December 6, 2017: Oil Train Safety Rules Getting Rolled Back By Trump Administration
- Gizmodo, September 25, 2018: The Trump Administration Is Rolling Back Safety Regulations for Explosive Oil Trains
- DeSmog, December 10, 2017: The Trump Admin’s Misleading Justifications for Repealing This Oil Train Safety Rule
- WNYC, February 26, 2018: Trump Rolls Back Numerous Transportation Safety Regulations
…just wait till you see the next one:
As far as I’m concerned, every day is National Florida Day, but in the official sense, that day happens today and every January 25th.
For the past nine years — yes, it’s been that long since I moved here — the Sunshine State has also been the Accordion Guy State. I’ve made a home and found my place here, and I’ve somehow managed to not become a “Florida Man” news story (I still have time…).
Florida became a state on March 3, 1845, but “for reasons” — a perfectly legal defense in Florida — National Florida Day is celebrated on January 25 each year.
I am now legally required to present a list of Florida facts, so here you go:
- Wherever you are in Florida, you are never more than 60 miles (100 km) away from the ocean.
- The average Florida temperature ranges from 65° to 70° F (18° to 21° C) in the northern region and 74° to 77° F (23° to 25° C) degrees in the southern region.
- No dinosaur fossils have ever been found in Florida. [Joey’s note: Clearly whoever wrote this fact has never been to The Villages.]
- The only place on the planet where crocodiles and alligators live together is in the Florida Everglades.
- Every public building in Florida has an outward opening door due to strong winds during hurricane season.
- Florida is the flattest state in the United States of America. Florida is so flat in fact that its highest point is the lowest high point of any state in the USA. At just 345 feet (105 meters), Britton Hill, Florida’s highest peak, is lower than many of Miami’s skyscrapers.
- Florida got its name from Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who named it ‘La Florida’, meaning “land of flowers”.
- Florida has the longest coastline in the continental US.
- Florida is the only state that borders the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
- Florida is the southernmost point in the USA. Technically Hawaii is the southernmost state in the country, but geographically, Florida is the southernmost point.
- Greater Miami is the only metropolitan area in the country with two national parks. Miami is home to Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park.
How do I plan on celebrating National Florida Day? The Florida Way, of course: golf and drinks! Anitra and I both won a raffle that gets us a free session at Top Golf this evening!
I may also have to pick up some Florida Man comics…
Categories
Happy Lunar New Year!
which translates to “congratulations and good luck.”
It’s another Lunar New Year, and this one is the year of the Rabbit, which starts today (January 22nd, 2023) and end on February 9, 2024. In Chinese culture and folklore, the Rabbit astrological sign is connected with peace, prosperity, and long life, and 2023 is supposed to be a year of hope. You might want to look back at previous Rabbit years (2011 and 1999) and see how they went for you.
Here’s hoping that this Year of the Rabbit goes better than the one in this video:
More about the Year of the Rabbit
- MSNBC — It’s the Year of the Rabbit and, finally, we can all chill
- CNN — Chinese zodiac fortune predictions: What’s in store for the Year of the Rabbit?
- CNN — The Year of the Rabbit: An illustrated guide to Lunar New Year
- CBS — The Year of the Rabbit: The Lunar New Year and what it means
- Daily Express — Chinese New Year horoscope: Lucky for Ox, Tiger and Snake but unlucky for Rooster & Monkey
- Romper — Your Chinese Zodiac Horoscope for the Lunar New Year 2023