Monday, May 09, 2016
Mixed on the Soda Tax
The problem here in the urban hellhole (and in Pennsylvania generally) is that the constitution doesn't allow for different income tax rates. Taxes can be raised, but across the board. We can't just soak the rich. For a local municipality to try to raise more money, they're inevitably going to have turn to regressive taxes. The mayor wants universal pre-K. That would be a good thing. How do we pay for it? That's tricky. If you're going to do regressive taxes then sin taxes are probably better than others. They're still regressive. I wouldn't support a soda tax for bloombergian nanny state reasons, but if all the funds are dedicated to program which is directed largely at the group of people who are being taxed... well, maybe.
Poor Batfleck
I didn't see, but it sounded horrible. As someone said, "they made a movie with batman and superman that you can't take your kids to." Even the Nolan movies weren't quite that "adult." It isn't that I think everything - even superhero movies - should be aimed at 8-year-olds, but they should still be something that a mature kid might actually enjoy.
Affleck was named as executive producer of the Justice League films last week, according to the site. And Birth.Movies. Death claims the timing is no coincidence as Warner battles to save its superhero cinematic universe following Batman v Superman’s critical travails.
“This move seems to help placate Affleck while also edging Zack Snyder out of a controlling central position in the DC Movieverse,” suggests Faraci. The site’s report claims the film-maker will work with Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio, who also co-wrote Batman v Superman, to ensure the script for the sequels are up to scratch.
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Until A Few Years Ago We Only Ate One Thing
Many cities are known for a particular sandwich or local specialty item, but for some reason Philly seems to be the only place where writers for other publications can't avoid framing any discussion of food by referencing the cheesesteak.
Skip the whiz, get the provolone like everyone else I've ever known, by the way.
Skip the whiz, get the provolone like everyone else I've ever known, by the way.
I Don't Think the Potty Mouth is the Problem
Dana does devote an entire paragraph to mentioning that Trump is a bigot, also, too, but really what has Mr. "Mad Bitch Beer" incensed is that the Donald says bad words. Of ourse Dana says bad words. Journalists swear. Politicians swear all the time. They've done it in front of me even when I didn't know them. Journalists know that politicians swear. Sure most are a bit less likely to do it in front of a camera, but so what? I'd prefer their public personas more accurately reflect their private ones. It's ridiculous when Official Washington gets up on their high horses about decorum, especially when most of them don't exactly have the Queen's manners themselves. It's a lot more impolite to go blow up a bunch of people for no good reason than it is to say "fuck" every now and then.
Saturday, May 07, 2016
Number 10
The racist smear campaign against Khan didn't just come from Goldsmith. It came from Cameron, too.
David Cameron is under pressure to justify Zac Goldsmith’s London mayoral campaign, after the leader of Muslim Conservatives called it a disgusting and risible attempt to smear Labour’s winning candidate, Sadiq Khan.
Mohammed Amin, the chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, joined other senior Tory figures in condemning the attacks on Khan by Goldsmith.
Friday, May 06, 2016
Shootings At A Mall
I live in an urban hellhole. There are shootings almost every day in the city. Most aren't "stranger danger" shootings. I don't feel unsafe. But they happen pretty much constantly. They also (almost) never make national news. I get why certain kinds of shootings - seemingly random mass shootings, school shootings - that happen outside urban hellholes get a lot of attention, but quite often the fact that the shootings happen in places where they aren't supposed to happen, such as a nice suburban mall, is the news hook. It isn't supposed to happen there. Well, it does. I'm not sure if it's happening more, though it seems that way, but it happens.
Three people were injured in a shooting outside a Bethesda, Maryland, mall Friday morning, police said. The shooter is still at large.
Two males and one female were shot in the Westfield Montgomery Mall parking lot around 11:30 a.m., Montgomery County police told NBC News. All three were taken to area hospitals. There was no immediate word on their conditions.
Some Good News
It isn't official yet, as the voting system is a bit complicated, but the Muslim Labour candidate has almost certainly beaten the asshole Tory candidate to become the new mayor of London.
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