Author Archives: John Lusk

Fox is a machine driven by its consumers. There are no stars.

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https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/04/24/tucker-carlson-departure-fox-news-00093559

A somewhat similar viewpoint:

«“A weighing of the negatives – and risks to the business – versus the positives or benefits.”

And if you’re the Murdochs, it is easy to say how holding on to Carlson comes with more much more risk than reward. Carlson is not a team player, and in fact is uncontrollable. He carries legal baggage, and the Murdochs are trying to put an end to the legal disputes they find themselves in. He regularly births negative news cycles about the network that tarnish the brand, and Fox News is desperate to emerge from the cloud of negative press it has been the subject of. Meanwhile, mainstream advertisers have stayed far away from Carlson’s show, which is far too toxic to associate with.»

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/25/media/fox-news-tucker-carlson-reliable-sources/index.html

The kids are… taking over?

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(And they’re alright.)

«For 18 months, Bluff City Church and First United Methodist Church have been “courting,” said Bishop Bill McAlilly of the Nashville Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church.

“Today we come to be married, thanks be to God,” McAlilly said.

…

The merger of the two churches was also a commitment by both congregations to remain United Methodist, a commitment coming at a time when some churches are leaving the denomination over differences regarding church practice and doctrine, often related to same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy.

“In the overall perspective of the United Methodist World, this is a really important message, because it says that people can come together and honor our differences and distinctiveness but also be one in Christ together,” said the Rev. Tom Fuerst, who will pastor the combined church.

….

Fuerst founded Bluff City Church about five years ago at the direction of McAlilly, after Fuerst was fired from Christ Church Memphis. Christ Church has since voted to disaffiliate from the denomination.

For years, Bluff City Church didn’t have a permanent home, meeting in other churches and temporary spaces.

At the same time, First United Methodist Church was wondering what its future would look like. Founded in 1826, the church has, like many historical congregations, struggled to recruit newer membership as its members age.»

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2023/04/24/in-a-time-of-division-two-united-methodist-churches-become-one-in-memphis/70143343007/

Joaquin Castro and Republican hypocrisy

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Joaquin Castro cuts loose on Mastodon.

@Joaquincastrotx 🔗 https://mastodon.social/users/Joaquincastrotx/statuses/110244134369406082 – Dear Texas Republicans — I’m a lifelong Catholic but I don’t want kids to be forced to pray in their public schools. Texans don’t want their kids to be forced to study the Bible in public schools. We can go to church to study the Ten Commandments if that’s what we want. We especially don’t need a lesson in morality from you hypocrites. 1/2 https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/20/texas-senate-passes-ten-commandments-bill/

In Go, “} else {” must all be one line

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Learning Go.

The following code:

		if elm, ok := retval[w]; ok {
			retval[w] = elm + 1
		} 
		else {
			retval[w] = 1
		}

Results in the following compiler error:

.\main.go:16:3: syntax error: unexpected else, expected }
.\main.go:19:2: syntax error: non-declaration statement outside function body

But the following “} else {” on one line fixes it:

		if elm, ok := retval[w]; ok {
			retval[w] = elm + 1
		} else {
			retval[w] = 1
		}

Because https://go.dev/ref/spec#Semicolons. (Go inserts a semicolon at the end of a line if the line ends with “}”.)

Short break for head exploding.

Ok, I guess. You’d think the tutorial would mention it, though. (Oh, look! A complaint icon, right on the page! https://github.com/golang/tour/issues/1481)