Whaz Up!?! Monday 16 August 2021
Reading time: 3 minutes
There is a lot going on in the news and around Ye Olde Blogge everything from back to school, new findings in psychology, Friday the 13th memes, and so much more.
Nanci Griffith Dies and My Friend, Grief, Comes in for a Visit
Reading time: 5 minutes
My very personal musings on grief at the passing of Nanci Griffith, my AIDS memories, and #COVID19.
Conspiracy Theory 201: Keeping the Wheels on the Bus Going Round and Round
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Conspiracy theories seem to abound throughout the media. They seem to have the conservatives in a fever grip of nonsensical nonreality. What makes them so difficult to dispel?
From the Spam File: In Praise of Praise
Reading time: 3 minutes
The brain is easy to fool! Illusions and gimmicks get us all the time. Well, here is one that gets me even though I know it is all fake. I thought I’d share it just because it is so well done.
Whaz Up?!? Monday 9 August 2021
Reading time: three minutes
Here is some of what we’ve been entertaining ourselves with here at Ye Olde Blogge this week. Perhaps you’ll find it entertaining, too.
Conspiracy Theories 101: What is a Conspiracy Theory and Who are the Lunatics that Believe Them?
Reading time: six minutes
We seem to live in a world full of conspiracy theories, especially from the lunatics on the right, amirite? What psychological needs do conspiracy theories meet?
Whaz Up?!? Monday 2 August 2021
Reading time: 3 minutes
We ran a little long this week just because we could! Yes, I have a new laptop! Read all about it and the amusing stuff I’ve been reading from the WordPress Reader and other news sources. There’s an update on the Cambodia #COVID19 front and some surprising news about #COVID19 vaccination resistance, too.
We’re So Fucked: Voters Unwilling to Punish Politicians for Tactics and Positions
Reading time: 6 minutes
Why do voters tell pollsters that they support a liberal position by 60 to 70% but conservative politicians still win elections and never seem to be punished for blocking those policies? What does the survey say?
Whaz Up!?! Wednesday 28 July
Howdy y’all! All you sharp- eyes readers out there are probably wondering two things: First, what happened to Monday’s “What Up!!!” post. and second,, why haven’t recent posts had featured images and links to previous posts. And third, why I haven’t been posting more. And fourth, what’s up […]
We’re So Fucked: Proportionality Bias Explains Voter Apathy To The Threat To Our Democracy
Reading time: 5 minutes
Why the fuck do so people people believe the Big Lie? Why the fuck aren’t more people outraged — we’re looking at you Sen Manchin — that our democracy is being dismantled right before our very eyes? Well, we have the answer! Proportionality Bias!
What Up?!? Monday 19July 2021
Reading time: two minutes
It’s been a rough week at Ye Olde Blogge what with posting from my Chinese -knockoff Kindle Fire after Meine Verdamme Tochter’s computer died the death of a thousand drops. Anywho, I’ve FINALLY gotten Whaz Up posted and everything but my heart and nerves are intact.
The Gettysburg Address: Inspiration For Our Time
Reading time.5 minutes
The fight to preserve voting rights and our democracy feels more desperate by the day.. If our current leadership is being less than inspiring, let us take our inspiration from each other and from the most trying time in American history: the Civil War, the Gettysburg Address, and President Lincoln.
We’re So Fucked: Caused by Present Bias and the Hacks We’ll Need to be Less Fucked
Reading time: 5 minutes
Ever wonder why the people who are setting the right’s agenda are doing it? What has caused them to be so short-sighted so as to persue such a blatantly self-destructive path? Present bias.
Whaz Up!?! Monday 12 July 2021
Reading time: two minutes
It’s been a busy, but quite week at Ye Olde Blogge because we moved across the apartment complex. We did a little everyday and then BOOM did the rest. It left time for lots of reading, most of it in psychology, but some other interesting stuff, too. And, the Delta Variant sucks.
QUIZ: Are You Having an Existential Crisis? — First Dog on the Moon — The Guardian
Reading time: 3 minutes
How do you know if you’re having an existential crisis? Well, if you have to ask, you probably are. So, take this “quiz!” It won’t help you clarify anything, but it may cheer you up some!
We’re So Fucked: The Greedy “Defector,” edition
Reading time: 4 minutes
Game theory tries to model real life and predict how people will react in certain situations. How about how people will react when making sacrafices for future generations when their is no compensation for it? We have just enough greedy bastards among us to make it just about impossible to do.
We’re So Fucked: The Vaccination Rates, Political Polarization, and Presidential Voting, edition
Reading time: 5 minutes
We all know about the hatred the GQP has for providing healthcare for its citizens. They’ve tried to stop the ACA, they don’t exapand Medicaid, they don’t fund public health, anything and everything. Now, we find that there is a near perfect correlation between #COVID19 vaccination rates and voting in the 2020 presidential election. Guess what that means? It means we’re so fucked.
Whaz Up!?! Monday 5 July 2021
Reading time: 4 minutes
There’s a lot of news in the US, in Cambodia, around the world, and at Ye Olde Blogge this week. We’ve uncovered some fine new blogs, too! There’s lots to check out in this week’s Whaz Up!?!
Follow ALL of the Science: The Predictable Confusion of the Changing Mask Guidance Hurts #COVID19 Effort
Reading time: 5 minutes
With the CDC seeming to update their mask guidance every few months, it is no wonder that people are confused about whether or not, when, where to wear a mask. Now, that the Delta variant has arrived, the risks are even higher.
The War on History Is a War on Democracy — New York Times Magazine
Reading time: 4 minutes
Tim Snyder’s essay in The New York Times Magazine brilliantly links our recent laws defining what can be taught in school about our history, the culture war on Critical Race Theory, and the authoritarian power grab by the GQP together. It’s well worth the read.
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