neonvincent

I overlooked these when I wrote Explaining the Media Bias Chart, a popular topic of the past two years of Crazy Eddie's Motie News. For completeness, here they are as other sources of page views.

My comment on Useful Idiots on Parade.

One shouldn't be surprised by Slate's take on Assange. Ad Fontes' Media Bias Chart rates the publication as hyper-partisan liberal, which means it explicitly expresses its political views, so of course the panel would take a negative view of Assange after his role in the 2016 election. As for the quality of the panel's comments, they're probably not living up to the other dimension of Slate's rating, which is complex analysis and fair interpretations of the news. Well, that's what happens when one rates the text version of the site instead of its podcasts.

Slate probably didn't contest their rating. Wonkette did, saying that the Media Bias Chart confused their satire for propaganda. The writers and editors there in particular protested that they were not to the left of Jacobin and The Intercept (speaking of publications friendly to Assange), and did not make up stuff for the purpose of misinforming their readers, just for their amusement. The Media Bias Chart kept them where they were, even if they did find Wonkette hilarious.

My comments on Wonkette reacts to its Media Bias Chart placement at Booman Tribune.

Attribution for the tip jar.

Modified from Wonkette reacts to its Media Bias Chart placement, an update to 'A comparison of two measures of media bias shows readers and viewers respond to both ideology and quality', originally posted at Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

Wonkette's placement being a case in point. The system used to rate organizations could not distinguish satire from propaganda and did not care that it couldn't. Just the same, I generally find it useful, even if it failed in this specific instance.

It's the first day of the new month, so it's time to post the comments I left at other blogs during July.

( Comments about politics, culture, and booze behind the cut. )

It's the first of a new month, so it's time to post the comments I posted at other blogs.

Note: the comments I used to leave at Booman Tribune I now leave at Progress Pond. Those don't require formatting to display the images and videos, just bare links. That's what I'm posting here. Yes, I'm lazy.

( Comments from Progress Pond, Kunstler's blog, and elsewhere on the net behind the cut. )

My comments on Biblical Anxieties.

I used the cover art for "Justinian's Flea" to illustrate Pandemics and collapse. That was a story I had not known about before I researched it. It's not like the folklore around Ring Around The Rosie, which is better known, even if the nursery rhyme may not actually be inspired by later outbreaks of the bubonic plague in England.

By the way, Happy April Fools Day! Today's silliness is Mike Lee's presentation against the Green New Deal, which Anderson Cooper and Stephen Colbert mocked in turn. Also, beware fake news!


( Comments about booze, music, politics, and a little occultism behind the cut. )

On this week's episode of Baro in the City, Niall Harrington teaches you how we make The Colin Classic - our take on the Canadian classic Caesar.

My comments on Blowback Is a Harsh Mistress.

Hi, K-Dog! I was happy to see you respond to me on Monday, but I never got around to expressing my appreciation for your comments until now. You wished me, a fellow "green," a happy Earth Day. I return the favor today, wishing you a happy Arbor Day. I also wish to thank you for your invitation to look at your "ball" on your blog. I got to see the dot representing me and all the rest of your readers. Nice to see I'm not alone.

Our host wrote of consequences. One of them is being visited upon Treasury Secretary Mnuchin for his time as a board member of Sears. He and his college roommate "Fast Eddie Lamprey" are being sued by Sears Holdings for stripping assets from the corporation. When I shared that link on Facebook, the image I used prompted several to comment that Mnuchin and his actress wife looked like a pair of Bond villains. Personally, I think they would fit better in Austin Powers.

Speaking of the Treasury Department, smaller tax refunds for many were a consequence of the tax cut passed at the end of 2017. That has not made the tax cut any more popular; Americans like their refunds.

Our host also interjected "they're stuffing little children in cages" into today's essay as an example of a sentimental argument. Sentimental or not, the story that elicited that exclamation earned Jacob Soboroff a Cronkite Award for MSNBC's coverage of family separation at the border. That was a happy consequence, at least for Soboroff and MSNBC. An unhappy consequence of the same story befell Kirstjen Nielsen, who was apparently forced to resign because she wasn't brutal enough in enforcing immigration restrictions for Trump's taste. I could not imagine two more divergent reactions to the same story.


My comment on Tom Petty was Right.

That was an impressive list of avoidances of reality, but it failed to include the actual fantasies on screens, particularly the big silver ones. The superhero fantasy "Avengers: Endgame" had the best opening weekend box office ever with more than $350 million in North America and $1 billion worldwide. While Marvel's superheroes were saving the world, 6,000 stores have already announced they are closing in 2019, more than all of 2018. Welcome to the Retail Apocalypse, where Thanos doesn't have to snap his fingers to make things disappear.

It's time to post last month's saved comments.

( March 2019's comments about booze, music, and politics behind the cut. )

Much to my pleasant surprise, this diary has returned to the rec list. As today is Presidents Day, which used to be Washington's Birthday, I'm going to serve Drunken Cherries in honor of the country's first president.

"Drunken Cherries" (Watch on YouTube)

Here's the recipe:

DRUNKEN CHERRIES
Cherry Vodka
Maraschino Cherries
White Chocolate Candy Melts
Sprinkles PREPARATION

1. Soak maraschino cherries in cherry vodka for an hour or so.
2. Gently dry base of cherries on paper towel before dipping in melted white chocolate.
3. Cover chocolate with sprinkles. Enjoy!

This entry is still on the rec list, so the readers deserve another round of drinks. Because today's food holiday is National Chocolate Mint Day, I am serving Mint Chocolate Chip Shots from Tipsy Bartender.

"Mint Chocolate Chip Shots - Tipsy Bartender" (Watch on YouTube)

In the mood for some MINT CHOCOLATE....

Still more comments from Midweek Cafe and Lounge, Vol. 103 at Booman Tribune.

Since today is Valentines Day, I'm pouring Red Hot Valentine Shots.

"Red Hot Valentine Shots" (Watch on YouTube)

Here's the recipe:

RED HOT VALENTINES SHOT
1 Part Fireball
1 Part Cherry Vodka
Splash Grenadine
Pearl Dust
Red Sugar
Candy Hearts

PREPARATION
1. Rim edge of shot glass with red sugar.
2. In an ice filled glass add fireball, cherry vodka, grenadine and pearl dust. Stir to combine.
3. Strain mix into shot glasses and garnish with candy heart. Enjoy responsibly!

Originally posted as a comment on Midweek Cafe and Lounge, Vol. 103 at Booman Tribune.

It's the first of a new month, so it's time to post my saved comments on other blogs, mostly from Booman Tribune but also from Kunstler's blog and emptywheel.

( The bar/cafe is open behind the cut. )

Today is National Popcorn Day so I am pouring Buttered Popcorn Infused Rum at Booman Tribune.

"How to make Buttered Popcorn Infused Rum - Tipsy Bartender" (Watch on YouTube)

If you love flavored liquors, you have to try...BUTTERED POPCORN INFUSED RUM! We take freshly popped popcorn and infuse it, with butter, into rum for that perfect movie theater popcorn smell and taste. Next time you have a movie night in, rather than a bowl of popcorn you can sit down with a glass of this! This is such a fun infusion and the mixing possibilities are endless--try it in the place of regular rum to give a crazy twist to any cocktail recipe!
...
BUTTERED POPCORN INFUSED RUM
Popcorn
1 Stick of Butter, clarified
5 oz. (150 ml) Rum