Open Thread – Troll Season
A friend of The Mudflats, Chicago art teacher Brandi Martin mailed the below hilarity into Mudflats Central last night:
Some troll on Twitter told me that “keeping a gangbanger in school is like keeping a cat in a litter box.” Then he berated my one-sided liberal bias in the classroom (since he knows f*** all about it—I almost never discuss politics in class). I said it won’t be one sided for long, I’d give all 150 kids his Twitter handle and he could enlighten them. Why tell me, when he can just tell the gangbanger directly? I won’t, but I hope he’s up all night sweating the 150 black and Latino followers he’s imagining gaining. It’s sort of fun that my daily bread and butter is the stuff of racist troll nightmares. I must do this more often.
A gadget geek and digital artist, Brandi also produced this very cool animated short about teacher pensions:
Pensions Save IL Taxpayers Almost a Billion Dollars! from Brandi Martin on Vimeo.
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I suppose there’s nothing new about profiteering based on human misery, but that doesn’t make the practice any less disgusting, does it?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/unholy-trade-of-making-millions-out-of-misery-8073599.html
““The US weather starting mid-May…has been among the worst three or four years of the century, comparable to the dust bowl years of the mid-30’s,” said Mr Mahoney, Glencore’s head of agriculture, suggesting that it won’t be long before cereal prices hit a new record.
““In terms of the outlook for the balance of the year, the environment is a good one. High prices, lots of volatility, a lot of dislocation, tightness, a lot of arbitrage opportunities [the sale and purchase of an asset to profit from price differences in different markets],” he added.”
“The flood of speculative money into food dates back to 2000 when the US – which dominates the global food market – substantially deregulated trading in commodities. This paved the way for investors to pile into wheat, coffee and all manner of other “soft” commodities, allowing London and New York to build substantial trading hubs to benefit from an explosive new market.”
The article, by James Cusick, is excellent, and well worth reading in its entirety. JMO, of course.
Not only is there profiteering by people who, confronted with a seed, would have no idea what it takes to make it grow through harvest. There is also a ridiculous amount of waste:
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/report-finds-americans-wasteful-of-food/
(Don’t bother with that unless you’re a subscriber. It’s good, but not so good that it should be one of your few monthly articles.)
The filthy rich are unlike the rest of us:
http://www.nationofchange.org/fossil-fuel-magnate-bill-koch-seeks-public-lands-shelter-his-private-old-west-marvel-1345641351
“The “Central Rockies Land Exchange” would give Koch control of 1,800 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in exchange for various other parcels that he owns in Colorado. Local opponents say that the land exchange will deny access to public lands where they hunt and hike. Koch has hired a public relations firm to sell local residents on the idea.
“Bill Koch is brother to David and Charles Koch, conservative heavy hitters who are virulently anti-climate science and have bankrolled right-wing groups like Americans for Prosperity and the Heritage Foundation.”
Ack!! As if Akin’s remark wasn’t ludicrous enough, now Rep. Steve King says he doesn’t believe statutory rape can result in pregnancy:
http://www.care2.com/causes/steve-king-has-never-heard-of-pregnancy-from-statutory-rape.html
Any woman who would vote for any of these @ssh@ts needs her head examined, pronto.
Who was that 11 yo girl who was kidnapped and held for, was it about 18 years, in Calif, had 2 kids by the rapist? Name started with a J, will remember it later. Anyway, that WAS statuatory rape and she did get pregnant. Steve King is an arrogantly and determinedly ignorant asshole.
To Carol and Zyx- starting next Monday feel free to send the Sioux City Journal Opinion page your comments or opinions. You can comment all you want. You get a once a month opinion space. Of course there are about a dozen coyotes that band together and nip at heels who will tell you to mind your own business,of you don’t live in Iowa’s fourth legislative looney bin,like me.
Lovely video. Thanks, Brandi!
It’s back to school season in earnest. If you’re headed to a college or university this fall, check out your school’s green credentials. Will you go to an eco-campus where students ride bikes and harvest organic vegetables?
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201209/coolschools/slideshow/top-ten-cool-schools-appalachian-state-10.aspx
Please note, not all schools responded to the extensive survey, so your school could well be green without being listed. Encourage your alma mater to participate.
That’s a great thought. Of course, the kids could possibly find this guy on their own unless she really has tight controls on her Twitter account.