https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/opinion/jim-crow-north.html

«In both instances, the victims were accused of violating laws or rules governing conduct in commercial establishments and public spaces. In the first case, it was for trespassing or loitering. In the second, it was for using a charcoal grill outside of the designated areas.

“Quality of life” laws serve as a potent instrument of racial segregation. They provide commercial establishments, law enforcement officers and everyday citizens with tools enabling them to police racial boundaries while at the same time claiming to simply be upholding the law.

In contrast to the Jim Crow laws of America’s dark past, these laws supposedly apply to everyone. But in practice, they clearly don’t. Like most middle-aged white people, I have spent countless hours in Starbucks without buying anything. Plenty of white people have barbecued, blasted music and drunk alcohol at that same Oakland park, without anyone calling the police.»

https://twitter.com/SkinnerPm/status/1000622397828091904

«One would have hoped that the roadblock to arming teachers would’ve been a sudden and welcome national anti-insanity moment but sure, insurance companies will work too…

Patrick Skinner added,

@washingtonpost

One roadblock to arming teachers: Insurance companies willing to assume the risk https://wapo.st/2IO9Wfl»

Everybody knows this is a false dichotomy, right?

https://twitter.com/pbump/status/999846622724009989

I have a theory that people use despicable behavior by some christianists as a straw-man excuse to avoid Matthew 7:13-14.

(*To be clear, I’m constantly looking for excuses to avoid this passage, too.  “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.”)

Huh.

Vox.com: Why amateur wine scores are every bit as good as professionals’.
https://www.vox.com/2016/12/15/13892364/wine-scores-critics-amateurs

Shared via Google News

http://www.availlang.org/about-avail/learn/tutorials/rpn.html

What happens when classics scholars invent programming languages:

«For those who wish to learn more about calculator input methods, try starting here.

If you have an interest in Greek mythology, then you may wish to read more about the founder-hero Theseus. His legendary voyage from Crete to Athens inspired philosophers like Plutarch, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke to wonder about the nature of identity, a topic that is not only intriguing in its own right but also central to the Avail programming language.»

GitHub: https://github.com/AvailLang/Avail

JAXEnter article: https://jaxenter.com/avail-articulate-programming-jvm-144872.html

New version of a WWII first-person shooter video game has female characters and, apparently, some gamers are very upset that that’s not “realistic”.

«i step out onto omaha beach & take a sniper’s bullet to the head. i wait patiently to realistically respawn. next time out i get hit in the arm, so i take cover in order to realistically regenerate my health. i get a realistic achievement for watching my friend open a loot crate»

https://mashable.com/2018/05/26/google-news-app-review/#ygDhIFwW6kqF

«For Google, though, the goal of full coverage is about much more than simple aggregation. It’s supposed to be a kind of antidote to our self-imposed echo chambers. By eschewing any kind of personalization in favor of “trusted news sources” only, Google hopes the feature is giving people the tools to have “a productive conversation or debate.”

It’s an interesting approach to a thorny topic that other platforms, notably Facebook, has struggled with: is it better to serve up the stuff people want to read or what’s true. Google has pretty clearly come down on the side of the latter.»

https://liveblog.irishtimes.com/c273bf43d6/Polls-close-in-referendum-on-Eighth-Amendment-/

«“Aside from the thumping majority in favour of repeal, the most striking aspect of the exit poll is the uniform strength of the Yes vote across all regions and ages, except voters aged above 65.”»

More name-changing.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/25/marine-le-pens-niece-tipped-as-future-far-right-leader-drops-family-name

«On her social media accounts Marion has changed her profile names from Marion Le Pen to simply Marion Marechal and announced she intends to be known by the latter from now on.»

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2018/05/22/immigration-children-separate-families-lost-kirstjen-nielson/631627002/