The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach

Author: mongreldogs

  • Stay classy, guys

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    Well, it only took a month for the NRA to forget that gun massacres are the result of violent videogames. Now they’ve released an app allowing you to take target practice. On coffins. With a Mk11 sniper rifle (but that’ll cost a a buck). Way to stay classy, Mr. LaPierre and company.

  • Announcing 30 Days of Marc Cohn

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    Starting tomorrow, I’ll be sharing my “30 Days of Marc Cohn”, to get myself ready for the Valentine’s Day show I’ll be attending with Annie.  (And this message is mostly about testing some WordPress features I intend to use.)

  • Why they’re called “gun nuts”

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    So in Arizona, the NRA is mad that guns turned into the police at a buyback are going to be destroyed rather than, say, put back into circulation. Let’s unpack that: For these people, the Union is ephemeral, to be abandoned when the people elect someone the NRA doesn’t like… But the physical guns are…

  • 2013

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    I don’t do resolutions. But I do intend to write more regularly in the coming year.

  • Filling in the memory hole

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    Following Noah Smith’s lead, I am simply copying John Derbyshire’s ludicrous racist screed to do my bit to prevent it from vanishing down the memory hole once he and his sponsors realize how damning it is.  Distributed democracy for the win. Racist nonsense below the fold. UPDATE: Smith has published some thoughts on the screed,…

  • PNC Virtual Wallet: Worst Banking Experience EVER

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    Recently, I and my fiancee signed up for a PNC joint account to manage our wedding expenses.  Little did I know I was signing up for the positively worst online banking experience I have ever encountered, perhaps the worst online experience period.  PNC drives new users into something they call “Virtual Wallet”, which is supposed…

  • My philosophy of education

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    Edited to correct some grammatical mistakes. The new school year is about to start, and it’s customary to take a moment and philosophize.  But I’m really busy, so I’m going to dust off something else and let that stand in.  Back in 2010 December, I was nominated for a prize offered by Princeton University Teacher…

  • Raw Deal

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    TR had the Square Deal.  FDR had the New Deal.  Harry S has the Fair Deal. Barack Obama will have the Raw Deal. So a debt-ceiling “deal” has been reached.  Going in to this, the President was willing to compromise but had a few lines in the sand: What did he get?  None of these. …

  • Can seeing a US flag turn you Republican?

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    And if so, what can be done about it? A study referenced in Discover has the provocative conclusion that seeing a small American flag while completing a political questionnaire can induce the respondents into being more Republican, even up to 8 months later. Is our society doomed by our optic nerves to surrender to the…

  • Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

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    Rating: 3 out of 5 (meh) Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a Michael Bay film.  That pretty much sums up exactly what the movie is, and you don’t really need to know any more about it.  It’s not a bad film, exactly, and it’s not a good film (definitely).  It’s a film, a Michael…