Sparky was adopted from an animal shelter, so I never want him to feel like he’s being dumped off somewhere. He has never said anything to make me think he’s got abandonment issues, but look at him. Have you ever seen a baby seal that is cuter or more pathetic?
Furious parents marched their children across picket lines of striking teachers in Oakland, California, on Friday on the seventh day of a strike in which teachers are demanding reparations for slavery, among other demands.
Say what you want about France, but they don’t play “follow the leader”. They protect their interests and make their own decisions. On race relations, they seem to have a sensible policy. I had some idea of how they handled diversity issues, so found this Brookings Institute article to be interesting.
WSJ: Tipping for Self Checkout
WSJ: Tipping for Self Checkout
People seem to be baffled and rankled by the simplest things.
Prompts to leave 20% at self-checkout machines at airports, stadiums, cookie shops and cafes across the country are rankling consumers already inundated by the proliferation of tip screens. Business owners say the automated cues can significantly increase gratuities and boost staff pay. But the unmanned prompts are leading more customers to question what, exactly, the tips are for.
I have a new refrigerator and my dog may be a racist. Sparky likes everyone, but the delivery guys don’t know that and shouldn’t take my word for it. As a courtesy, I had him in his crate. As soon as Maurice looked at him, Sparky started barking like a bunch of turkeys were taking a shit in his yard.
I can’t explain it. Sparky has met a couple of dozen friends and family since I’ve had him. In my house and elsewhere, while he was in his crate or roaming around, men and women, dressed up and casual, he has always been cool. Maurice has a dog, so maybe Sparky picked up the scent. Otherwise, Sparky may be a racist. He’s more than half black, so that makes it more troubling.
Why are their seven Catholics on the Supreme Court, and should we care? I’m more concerned that eight out of nine Supreme Court justices attended either Yale or Harvard.
NPR: History and Civics scores are down, and nobody should be surprised. The response to the Covid pandemic by the government and education officials was deplorable. I heard this story on NPR this morning, and it also illustrates how trivial their news reporting has become. Everyone wants to know how much damage was done to students by long periods of remote learning.
Look at people’s faces when you say, “Looks like it’ll be Biden and Trump.” Those faces tell you everything—the soft wince, the shake of the head, the sigh. Those are the emblems of the 2024 campaign right now.
It’s too early to tell. Biden seems to be the walking wounded and nobody likes Kamala. RFK Jr. is running and he seems like a normal kind of guy. DeSantis is running, and there will be others.
Equitable grading is just another way to lie about education. Some students will learn more and some will learn less. If grades mean anything, they should reflect a student’s demonstrable ability. Making excuses for students of unfortunate background doesn’t change their demonstrable ability.
I’ve been into Science Fiction since I was a pup, but fantasy never appealed to me. I don’t know why, possibly because it always seemed like there would be princesses and a bunch of moping around. Fair or not, that’s how it seemed to me. I don’t know how I started on Storm Front by Jim Butcher, but I was sucked in.
© 2026 Big Stick Physics
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑