Category Archives: General

What I’m reading 15 Aug 2018

I read six sycophantic pro-Trump books — and then I read Omarosa – Humph
> None of these books is especially memorable or useful on its own. As a genre, however, and a reflection of their subject, they are instructive. These books scarcely attempt to persuade; like Trump, they focus on the already converted. Pirro dismisses Trump’s critics with catchphrases rather than arguments. “Not on my watch,” she declares, as if that meant something. “Give me a break.” “Drives me nuts.” “I don’t think so.” And my favorite: “Don’t get me started on those wackadoos.” – (trump politics )

Top Euro court: No, you can’t steal images from other websites (too bad a school had to be sued to confirm this little fact) – Fair use by education is being reconsidered in the EU. This also means that CC needs to make inroads.
> It will also mean that every website – even school websites – will have to make sure that they only post images that they have permission to post. And pretty much everyone is going to have to reeducate themselves about what is and is not allowable online.

> It going to be messy, yet the decision also represents a gradual clawing back of previous norms in the internet era. It never made sense that people should be able to take other people's hard work – whether that's music, or video, or articles, or photographs – and do whatever they want with it just because it was possible to do so quickly and easily. – (publishing copyright EU )

Koch Network Pushes Back on Trump’s Washington | Time – Read the disclosure first, then the apologia for Koch and co.
> Disclosure: Time Inc., TIME’s parent company, was acquired by Meredith Corp. in a deal partially financed by Koch Equity Development, a subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc. – (rhetoric apologia politics )

Donald Trump is taking US down the path to tyranny (opinion) – CNN – Closer and closer.
> The Nazi henchman Hermann Göring explained in Nuremberg prison how easy it is to mobilize the public to war: "Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." – (politics fascism trump )

America must deal with Donald Trump, the first rogue president | Simon Tisdall | Opinion | The Guardian – The view from outside is clearer.
> The real Trump problem is not transatlantic. It is America’s to deal with. By now, Europeans have mostly rumbled him. But far too many Americans still don’t get it. Having long proclaimed the superiority of the US governance model, it transpires Congress is unable or unwilling to hold him in check. The unbalanced supreme court, soon to embrace another arch-conservative, is no defence against White House abuse of executive orders, and parti pris American media cannot be relied upon to tell truth to power. Rogue Trump is a crisis made in America. America is where it must be fixed. The world is watching, with diminishing sympathy. – (politics trump )

A reply to Kathleen Fitzpatrick’s Why Not Blog? – An update on syndication gone cross-domain and cross-media. – (doOO scholarship3.0 wiki socialpractices blog )
IndieWeb – A domain of one’s own is more important than ever. Get one. Start a blog, start a wiki, join the community. – (none)

Trump appointee guts UN document on racism, says leaders don’t have duty to condemn hate speech – CNNPolitics – The problem when a fascist faces language.
"Not being able to support this kind of language is indicative of an administration that has to defend a President who has said that Mexicans are rapists, white nationalists are 'fine people,' and that Muslims shouldn't be allowed to travel to America," Berschinksi said. – (trump rhetoric fascism )

Fintan O’Toole: Trial runs for fascism are in full flow – It takes an outside view to see clearly.
> Fascism doesn’t arise suddenly in an existing democracy. It is not easy to get people to give up their ideas of freedom and civility. You have to do trial runs that, if they are done well, serve two purposes. They get people used to something they may initially recoil from; and they allow you to refine and calibrate. This is what is happening now and we would be fools not to see it. – (trump fascism )