November 17, 2017 6:12 AM
HomeMorning ReadsMorning Reads for Friday, November 17, 2017

Morning Reads for Friday, November 17, 2017

By  Morning Reads  28 Comments

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Ginny

Get off my lawn.

28 Comments
  1. Benevolus

    I had a dream. Handmaids Tale came true- but the genders were reversed!

  2. MattMD_actual

    That reboot didn’t work out very well.

    • Nefarious

      Ghostbusters 2016 was great, and it’s definitely the second-best Ghostbusters movie that’s been made.

      • The Eiger

        Lies from the pit of hell. Some things do not need to be messed with. Good bourbon, bacon and Bill Murray classics are at the top of the list.

  3. Dave Bearse

    I had read other commentary on the Politico column referenced in the “too many warts” link and the Politico column itself a while back.

    It’s called fly-over country for a reason. World War II prosperity provided a veneer for racism and ignorance that never went away. A consolation is that folks of that type are now a minority and an ever-increasing one.

    They know what’s been in their hearts all along, and are afraid of being on the receiving end.

  4. Mr. Bear

    The self-driving vehicle promises to upend our thinking about local transportation. The traditional approach to a local transit station is that there are a series of buses operating out of that station, following pre-planned routes on pre-planned schedules. You miss the last bus? You have to wait for the next one. Instead, a self-driving vehicle operating out of that same station takes you to your door. If there are more passengers than vehicles, you have to wait, but you are not stuck in traffic somewhere along the way.

    There’s going to be a whole field of clinical psychology devoted to helping those who cannot just sit there and ride. And, when you think about it, a lot of those same people are the source of traffic problems by tailgating, frequently changing lanes and such. I’ll never get into one of those self-driving contraptions, but I’m not the target market for those things anyway.

    Likewise, our conventional thought toward urban transportation has been toward building a physical plant that operates railed vehicles on fixed routes and fixed schedules. And, there has been the desire to build expensive physical plant so that “the poor people can get to their jobs”. Witness the Perry Homes / Proctor Creek / Green Line, which was started for that purpose when Perry Homes was already in decline. Now, the Green Line serves one unique station and duplicates service to all the others. The costs? At least 400 million $ per mile, plus the costs of operation and maintenance. The traffic numbers are iffy, so maybe an automated street vehicle is the proper alternative.

    Given the present street congestion around Emory, on the other hand, a bunch of self-driving cars isn’t going to squeeze out any more capacity, so fixed rail service seems to be in order. Why not extend the Green Line further from Candler Park Station up to Emory / CDC / VA Hospital?

    • Nefarious

      I work as a transportation for a living. Self-driving vehicles are coming, but I don’t think the impacts will be as huge as people imagine.

      1. The biggest advantages of self-driving vehicles- intersection weaving, platooning cars close together, etc that would truly make an impact on traffic congestion (shown in this video https://youtu.be/4pbAI40dK0A)- can only be implemented if you remove ALL human drivers from the road. Good luck telling everyone to get out of their cars. “You can take the steering wheel from my cold, dead hands!”

      2. If self-driving cars are on the same roads as everyone else, they’ll be in the same traffic as everyone else.

      3. Rideshare service is fast and reliable in dense urban areas with consistent demand, and significantly less so in spread-out suburban areas with inconsistent or low demand. The Uber-like self-driving car service people imagine will likely be the same way. Fast service in suburban areas would require a lot of autonomous vehicles milling about in the suburbs waiting for demand, which would in turn increase the overhead cost of service.

      4. Other problems better discussed elsewhere, such as the trolley problem and the Level 3 autonomous problem.

      Transportation is a multi-faceted problem and autonomous vehicles are NOT a magic bullet, and we still need smart transit investment, such as a rail line in the dense Clifton Corridor.

      • Nefarious

        Apologies for the first sentence. I work as a transportation ENGINEER for a living.

  5. Nefarious

    Ginny, you forgot a link. Who wants to join me? http://www.atlantamagazine.com/drinks/atlantas-favorite-top-holiday-bar-miracle-back-even-bigger/

    I want that winking Santa mug so much I’m going to cry.

  6. Ellynn

    The McCaskill/Hatch one from Thursday over Medicaid cuts was interesting too.

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4691889/mccaskillhatchmedicaidfairy

  7. Benevolus

    The Fulton County DA is moving into a storefront on the corner of MLK and Hamilton Holmes. I wasn’t aware that the DA had field offices. Why would they need that, and what would they do there?

  8. Noway2016

    Good Guy with Gun stops maggot from raping woman. Thank God!
    https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2017/11/09/hero-pulls-gun-stop-woman-raped-austin-trail

    • Benevolus

      Presumably he still would have been able to do that even if 30 round clips and bump stocks were regulated.

      • Noway2016

        But of course…Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnn Feed.Yall’s.Narrative. At.All.Cost.

        • Benevolus

          there once was a robot called noway
          who had nothing of interest to say
          ’cause instead of reflection
          it just used projection
          to everyone else’s dismay

          • Benevolus

            If he’s gonna be postin’
            Ideas worth roastin’
            Then taking some flack is OK
            Strong enough for Siberia
            Is enough for my (alleged) hysteria
            Still, the auto-response is “M.A.G.A.!”

          • Noway2016

            There once was a dil-o named Pope
            Who was Gpol’s most infamous dope
            And with a goober like B
            And for all to see
            They’ve both just Socialist mopes…

          • Benevolus

            O socialist mopes
            wherefore art thou socialist mopes?
            Deny thy birthright of 30 round clips
            and refuse thy priveledge of bump stocks?
            ‘Cause many may die for the name NRA
            The mopes will never capitulate.

          • ScottNAtlanta

            Ya’ll should write a book
            Poetry of a Partisan Nature
            (I get a cut since I suggested it)

  10. Dave Bearse

    “And I’ve been here working my whole stinkin’ career for people who don’t have a chance. And I really resent anybody saying that I’m just doing this for the rich.” — Orrin Hatch

    I previously wouldn’t have characterize Hatch’s whole career as stinkin’, but this load after his Merrick infamy is stink that could taint a career.

    I figure Hatch to be considering throwing in the towel in 2018.

    • Noway2016

      What is thr Merrick issue?

      • Ellynn

        Before Obama made a SCOTUS nomination, Hatch, who is on the Judicial committee, basically said (I’m paraphrasing) he would not vote for a far left nomination, and went so far as saying Judge Merrick would be a good choice and would make it through a full senate vote.

    • Ellynn

      Only if Romney switches his legal address to Utah. He has a house there. Hatch has a deep dislike for Chaffetz and an even deeper dislike for Chaffetz’s. stepfather, and he want through it to him without a better choice.

      • Dave Bearse

        I’m not getting your point about Chaffetz since he resigned a half year ago. A big part in my figuring is that Hatch turns 83 next year.

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