It's not
about being liberal or conservative anymore y'all. That is a hype offered by the fascist whores who want to confuse the people with lies while they turn this country into an aristocratic police state. Some people will say anything to attain power and money. There is no such thing as the Liberal Media, but the Corporate media is very real.
What?
What is that?
What did you say?
Did you say that you wanted something other than what?
What?
What is this what?
Does is mean W ... HAT?
A hat you wear in almighty honor to the letter W.
Or is it WH ... AT.
Where are you AT?
Are you somewhere other than here?
What the Fuck?
Here
where you are there
or maybe everywhere.
It's just what you want that makes you what you are.
Friday, 24 March 2017 at 2h 27m 2s
Spring Training stats
Those of you who know me, know that I am an avid baseball nerd. Once baseball season starts my soul
is sync'ed into baseball every single day. And not just one team. I can give you info on all 30
teams in the league. I am somewhat partial to the Giants, but that doesn't come at the expense of
the other 29 teams in the league. I just love baseball. It is the best sport that combines
individual achievement with team other than basketball. Football is too player dependent, and too
limited in the number of games, in my opinion to appeal to me. Nothing against football, mind you.
Give me 30 more games maybe, and I'd be on board.
As such, I play fantasy baseball. I have been playing every year since ... I think 2006. I win
every single year. I have not lost any roto league ever. In weekly leagues, I have won every
single league, except once when I lost in the final game of the playoffs, and took 2nd place. I
don't say this to brag, but to reinforce the fact that I know my fucking shit when it comes to baseball.
So March is Spring Training month for baseball. Thing is that Spring Training hero's very often do
not translate into regular season studs. Every year some dude just gets hot, or takes advantage of
the environment and looks like a superstar. You cannot think the next best thing will be every
single dude who has an awesome Spring Training because the accumulated data over the last umpteen
score years indicates otherwise. The key is to know the difference. What statistics and data
should we rely upon to determine how likely a Spring Training superstar actually indicates a
relevant condition that will produce an excellent regular season.
For me, when it comes to pitchers I look at the Strikeout to Walks Ratio. I sort the MLB Spring
Training stats by strikeouts
and scroll down (without looking at the names). I only look at the name of anyone with an excellent
K-BB ratio. Then I think about that pitcher, and consider whether this is a potential indicator of
future success. Is the pitcher in the National League where pitchers hit? Is there a good defense
behind the pitcher? Who is the pitching coach? Did the pitcher develop or improve on a new pitch or
pitching repertoire? Regardless of these questions -- because you can talk yourself into anything --
this subgroup of pitchers has a much higher likelihood of future success so you are better off
taking a chance from these pitchers.
For the hitters, I look at a few more data points, but mostly I trust the Walks to Strikeouts ratio,
because for hitters, having a good eye is the quintessential need for future success. Foremost, a
hitter who isn't helping the pitcher get him out will have a higher Batting Average, in addition to
other counting stats. With hitters however, the potential for steals, spot in the batting order,
the potency of the other hitters in the lineup, and even the ball park are also relevant factors.
So in this case, I use the Walks to Strikeout ratio more as a backstop or check off. So in my view
of things, a good hitter in a good situation with a poor ratio is a notch less than a good hitter in
a mediocre situation with an impressive ratio.
Sunday, 19 March 2017 at 3h 16m 0s
Echidne is a greek goddess indeed
In case you are not aware, Echidne is a blogger who has a quite incisive instinct for the gestalt of
the zeitgeist (Whoa man, two German words). I visit Echidne on a regular basis,
because the information and insight is both amusing and accurate.
Jane Mayer has written an excellent and important piece about the longer-term consequences of the
Citizens United Supreme Court decision which gave every dollar the same political power. Most of us
could foresee what that might mean: The very rich can now legally buy almost any administration
they wish and create almost any laws they want.
And Mayer shows us, very carefully, how that led to Trump and the large number of white supremacists
and possibly even a Nazi or two in his administration. These shadowy super-billionaires Mayer
writes about, using Mercer as her example, are the true deep "state" in the United States, our true
overlords.
Granted, we still have voting for the hoi polloi, though it's more and more restricted for the black
Americans every day. But if you think of voting somewhat like picking a meal in a restaurant,
remember that it's people like Mercer who wrote the menu, who decided what dishes should be on it.
Click here for the Jane Mayer piece. Jane Mayer is no slouch herself. She has
been a reputable journalist for the New Yorker since 1995.
Saturday, 18 March 2017 at 18h 50m 55s
14 Standard Deviations.
In fact, the aggregate wealth of Japan, is somewhere between 3 and 4 standard deviations. So WTF Mr.
Ryan? I realize you had a few brews back in college salivating over destroying government, but why
didn't you give back those tawdry Social Security payments after your father died, back in the day
when you too were a young man in need of a little help? Tell us, Mr. Ryan, why do you indulge in the
suffering of others behind a bunk philosophy?
In case you were unaware, in statistics, 3 standard deviations is the extreme for a normal
distribution of items that have
relatively similar characteristics and background enviromental influences. For a normal
distribution, 99.7 percent of all items will be within a 3 standard deviation interval. To be 14
standard deviations from the mean, is akin to a billion year global event.
Can I say this again? THIS. IS. NOT. NORMAL.
Saturday, 18 March 2017 at 3h 0m 39s
A new song
Saturday, 18 March 2017 at 1h 27m 46s
Two old friends passing in the night
Saturday, 18 March 2017 at 0h 8m 59s
Arghhhhhhhhh
I am sooooooooooo completely sick of all these reporters and journalists using the term "alt-right"
like its a keyboard key stroke sequence. Just tap [alt][arrow Right] and a goose-stepping image of
Hitler appears on the screen.
Can we just call them Nazi's already? Because that's what they are. When reporters on the TeeVee
mention "platform of the alt-right" they should call it instead "the agenda of National
Socialist party". The rump group of Rethuglicans in the Congress are there because of election
chicanery and thievery, so how much integrity do you think you are gonna get out of these
liars/thieves and the morbid racists who use them?
Answer: NONE.
Friday, 17 March 2017 at 23h 58m 0s
OMG this is the president
Trump ignores the German presses audible request and then statement by Chancellor Merkel for a
handshake. He just sits there with a dumb, drooling, pompous look on his face and then quips "Send
a good picture to Germany for me."
He is an arrogant buffoon. Please make it stop.
Friday, 17 March 2017 at 1h 55m 47s
Good speech about the reality of globalism
Dr. Yilmaz Akyuz, Chief Economist of the South Center, was formerly the Director of the
Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) when he retired in August 2003. He was the principal author and head of the
team preparing the Trade and Development Report, and UNCTAD coordinator of research and support to
developing countries (the Group-of-24) in the IMF and World Bank on International Monetary and
Financial Issues. He taught at various universities in Turkey and Europe before joining UNCTAD in
1984 and after his retirement, and published extensively in macroeconomics, finance, growth and
development. He is the second holder of the Tun Ismail Ali International Chair in Monetary and
Financial Economics at the University of Malaysia, established by Bank Negara.
The super rich are hi-jacking the state and manipulating the patriotism and prejudices of the
lower classes in order to destroy the people's democracy and steal the people's treasury. This is a
world-wide phenomenom. It's happening nation after nation all over the world right now.