The article is, as usual, woefully short on facts and figures. What can you do? That's what passes for journalism these days.
Like this. You've got to love the headline; it's a work of art. They managed to imply emphasis on the last two words without actually doing anything.
I expect this is what they wanted to do, but were prevented by The Chicago Manual of Style:
Japanese plant poses little threat to US — FOR NOW!!!
Space considerations probably prevented the following:
Japanese plant poses little threat to US — FOR NOW!!! BUT WE'RE ALL SCREWED ANYWAY BECAUSE NUCLEAR POWER IS HORRIBLE AND EVIL AND DANGEROUS!!!!
*sigh*
Anyway, Ace reports there's some confusion about whether or not the plant has actually been abandoned. There are at least two translations taking place--from Japanese to English, and then from English to "liberal journalist"-speak--so translation errors are to be expected.
Doesn't help when the journalists in question know nothing about the subject they're covering, except perhaps "when I was in college I protested against Yucca Mountain!"
I'm not kidding, these guys need remedial English: "Units 4, 5 and 6 were shut at the time of the quake, but even offline reactors have nuclear fuel — either inside the reactors or in storage ponds — that need to be kept cool."
Yes, that's a basic subject-predicate disagreement: "offline reactors have nuclear fuel" and "that need to be kept cool." Should be "needs". Sure, offline reactors need to be kept cool; but offline reactors have nuclear fuel that needs to be kept cool. "Nuclear fuel" is singular.
...a professional journalist, with an editor and everything, should not be making a mistake like that. But, WTF, things like grammar and facts are patriarchal and sexist and probably homophobic, so colleges no longer focus on those kinds of things.
* * *
Also from Ace, there's gonna be a bloodbath in Libya as the socialist dictator there slaughters everyone who even thought about revolting against his regime.
Obama's just voting "present", as usual.
This article on Obama's non-performance in office is pretty damning, particularly because it compares Nixon favorably to Obama. Now, when someone can legitimately say, "Good God, I wish Nixon was back in office right now!" you know you've got a moron for President. Forget Watergate; Nixon's the guy who saddled us with EPA and OSHA and cut the Apollo program.
On the plus side, his policies led to South Vietnam being able to hold its own, until the communist-loving Democrat congress cut military aid to that country so that North Vietnam could crush them.
Obama's not even doing that much. Those rebels in Libya might as well just bend over and kiss their asses goodbye. If they were the communists (instead of ol' Moammar) he'd be all about helping them overthrow the government--witness his administration's efforts with Honduras--but since they're trying to overthrow the socialist, well...holy shit, will you look at that? It's almost my tee time! Where's my golf clubs? Somebody grab my spikes and get them to me on Marine One before we take off!
What a mess. We tried to warn you, you know.
* * *
Awesome video: bully gets his. I mean, the bully's victim picks his scrawny ass up and slams him into the concrete. The bully can barely walk after that.
And here's the sad, sad tale:
Apparently, Casey got suspended from school for his actions and could face further discipline, while the kid picking on him allegedly received no punishment.Emphasis mine.
Typical. Even with video evidence of the bully throwing the first punch, acting like a shithead and provoking the poor kid--even with that!--the victim is still the one punished, probably because "his reaction was inappropriate". "Just ignore it!" "You don't have to respond!" "Just walk away!"
Like you can just walk away from that kind of shit. The bully's got legs, too, you know.
The fucking twat can't walk afterwards; when he gets body-slammed--I couldn't help watching it a couple of times--his ankle is right on the landscape timber bordering the walkway. You can hear the bone hit the wood; at best, that kid's got a nasty bruise on his lower shin. But to be honest I hope the little shit's got a broken leg, because then he'll spend the next six weeks in a cast and the other students will think--every time they see him--Casey broke his leg! Holy shit!
Maybe that'll teach the asshat not to pick on people. Probably not. Especially not if he doesn't get the same administrative punishment as his victim.
* * *
Spring anime preview.
Moshidora is the first one on the list that grabs my attention.
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai might be good.
Hanasaku Iroha I'll watch because it's about cute girls working at an onsen.
...I don't know. A lot of the stuff in this season's preview just leaves me cold. Fortunately there's only one shounen ai title this time, though, which is a huge plus.
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi is a possibility, as is 30-sai no Hoken Taiiku. A couple of titles are ecchi but I'm staying away from the eroge adaptation (Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai) because Yosuga no Sora left such a bad taste in my mouth.
* * *
This is nice, but not $98 nice:
Pic stolen from Steven, who links to Robert's Anime Corner Store in that post, so I won't add the link here, 'cause I'm lazy.
Nothing against RACS, either, because they're in business to make money. It's just that anime figs are spendy. I have a pretty hard rule about not spending assloads of money on figs, even when I'm employed and even when they're made of awesome. Hell, in 1998 I could have afforded to buy a bust of Belldandy that cost $300; it was beautiful, and it was an amazing figure, but damn--$300.
(Actually, it might have been $400. Even so.)
None of my figs cost more than $30, and at that I think the upper cost included shipping. It means I don't have a very enviable collection, but at least that way I don't have to take out an insurance policy on it.
* * *
Speaking of which--
When I get a house, I want it to have three bedrooms, like the current bunker. The third bedroom need not be huge, but it'll become the studio; and that's where I'll put my art table and all my anime merchandise, on display. Computer and art stuff, all in one place, like I had in Cedar Rapids before about this time 2002.
The spare bedroom in my 2-bedroom apartment was a mess, but at least I had room for my art table and computer desk and everything. All told the place was perhaps 600 square feet.
Having been advised to look at property values in Rantoul, I see that they're about at Cedar Rapids levels; a 700 square foot, 2-bedroom apartment runs around $450-$500 per month and houses range from $40,000 on up. It's "cheap" compared to the Chicago area, but it's not really cheap.
When I worked at R-C, making what I made there, I could pay my bills and buy anime and manga--said purchases amounting to perhaps $80 per month, and comprising the entirety of my entertainment budget for the month--but saving was not easily accomplished. To be fair, I was trying to pay down all my revolving debt at the time, run up during my foolish college years, and succeeding--all my spare cash was going into paying down debt. I lost my job at R-C before I could quite finish that, though I'd trimmed everything down far enough that I could justify buying a new $1,100 computer. (And lost my job a scant 5 months after buying the computer, so I started my unemployment with $800 on my credit card. *sigh* At least that computer served me well until 2007.)
So if I get that job at #2 and have to live down there, I don't know how I'll do if they pay me what R-C was paying me. Still, WTF, it's a job, and it's an entry into a real career in robotics, and parsimonious living never hurt anyone too seriously. I did it before; I could do it again--and in the absolute worst case it won't matter anyway, because Earth will be a slightly radioactive dust cloud circling the sun and we'll all be wisps of vapor, so fuck it.
* * *
I guess me and Dilbert are in the same boat.