The New York Times is unusually tardy in how late to the game it is on the story of Internet Trolls. Predictably enough the author of the article got trolled himself by an Internet con artist going by the handle “Weev.”
Calling trolling a growing phenomenon is pretty stupid as just about any half-educated loser with a keyboard has probably engaged in some amount of trolling at this point. Furthermore, the author misses the point about trolls entirely by giving them a mouthpiece in a major newpaper. Here’s a hint: they do it for the attention, not the ‘lulz,’ and you fed the trolls. Internet sociopath and famewhore Jason Fortuny does not need any more exposure than he’s already got. Fortuny’s “motivation” is that of a stunted, maladjusted adolescent lashing out at an unfair world by creating grief for everybody around him. More on his pathetic background is avialable at “The Secret Life of Jason Fortuny.”
Stated unemployment is now up to 5.7% seasonally adjusted. The straight figure without adjustment is 6.0%. Neither of these are good signs for the economy. But it’s always interesting to delve below into the figures and see how difference populations are affected. They never report the stark figures for Black Male unemployment which for ages 20 and over is up to 10% that’s an increase of 2.4 percentage points year over year (seasonally adjusted.)
Education has a huge impact on unemployment. For those with less than a high school diploma, the unemployment rate is 8.4%. Compare that with the rate for those with a Bachelor’s degree which is at 2.4% right now. These spreads in percentage points are typical; There’s a lot to be said for finishing college.
U-6 is also an intesting indicator defined as:
Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.
In other words, people who are working part-time because they can’t find full-time work. That’s up to 10.3% this month from 9.9%.
Plenty of other stuff in there. The BLS’ release for July, 2008 can be found at this url.
Why you need it, how to make more of it. Good lifestyle piece from the BBC.
At last, an appropriate facility may bear the name of a president. San Francisco has a ballot initiative to rename the Oceanside Treatment Plant after George Bush. Why did they wait so long? This should have been put up for a vote years ago.
The Village Voice continued it’s story on ousted Teachers College professor Madonna Constantine. It doesn’t shed much new light on the story, but demonstrates that Columbia was not quick to judge; rather it took its time investigating the issue and its conclustions were not reached hastily.
TimeOut NY has a list of Morningside Heights’ top eats. Their definition of Morningside Heights is a little off (typically it’s ABOVE 110th St.) and they missed Tacqueria Y Fonda Mexiacana, but it’s mostly on target.
The Village Voice is running a series on Madonna Constantine, the now-infamous plagiarist of Teachers College. Of course, she didn’t get her job through affirmative action, but by bulking up her resume with other people’s work.
Back in May, Barry Ritholtz compiled a list of reasons why we are to blame for the current oil price increases. Mostly it’s a matter of having an energy policy that very much encourages the price to rise. He’s dubbed this perversity the “George Costanza Energy Policy” in honor of “The Opposite,” the episode of Seinfeld where Costanza gets a job with George Steinbrenner.
Of course, it’s not really perversity that led to this energy policy, but Bush’s close ties to the Saudis.
Now it appears that oil may actually reach $150. Could happen next week.
George Carlin died this week – a great loss to comedy and to America – the man was a bona fide national treasure. Not long before his death, he gave a very intelligent interview for Psychology Today. Carlin serves as an excellent answer to the question “how can I be spontaneous and improvise well?” The answer: plenty of preparation and practice.