We often see things we want to agree with or fight. The Buzzfeed-ification of news makes it hard to tell which headlines are objective and which aren't. Luckily, there are a few words that almost always reveal a news source's bias. And when a news source has bias, it's probably smart to ignore the contents of the story. Here is a simple — and incomplete — list of headline words that indicate bias, with a link of an example for most:
Truth Bomb, Eviscerates, Destroys, Demolishes, Furious, Decapitates, Shreds, Outraged, anything containing a normal word in capital letters, Losing Its Mind, Peddled, Remarkably, Ruined, Owns (for individuals), Haters, Shuts Down (for individuals), and Shamers. Send me a comment on Facebook or on the post here if you have more.
Name of the Year Results
It's over. And Pope McCorkle III is your 2016 Name of the Year. He's a Duke University public policy professor who goes by "Mac." So how did my first predictions go? Not bad, actually.
Bulltron Regional
When last we visited, I had predicted 2 of the 4 teams from this region in the Sweet 16. 1-seed Tillmann Buttersack (who I had picked to lose earlier) edged out Brodarious Hamm to move to the regional finals. Likewise, Onno Hoes (who I'd also picked to fall) edged Furious Carney, one of my personal favorites. So I didn't pick either of the Bulltron finalists. Tillmann Buttersack would ride its 1-seed to the Final Four
Sithole Regional
I'm pretty proud of this one. Like the Bulltron, I only picked two of the four. Pope McCorkle III (my pick) won a close match with the overachieving Saint Schwing. Also, Dick Tips (my other pick) had no problem with Scholastique Koolimo. So I picked one of the Sithole finalists (I had Dick Tips losing in the Sweet 16), and I picked the winner: Pope McCorkle III. Not bad.
Dragonwagon Regional
I missed the winner, but I'm OK with that. I correctly called the Dr. Shark Bird-Taco Pope matchup, and I think that was the best matchup of the entire tournament. I picked Dr. Shark Bird and was wrong, but that's such a good pairing that I am kind of zen about it. I correctly picked Howdy Goudey to win in the bottom half and lose to the Dr. Shark Bird-Taco Pope winner.
Chrotchtangle Regional
Short and sweet: I only picked one of the four Sweet 16 names, Sweet Orefice. But I correctly picked that she'd win and represent the Chrotchtangle in the Final Four.
Final Four
I picked two of the Final Four: Pope McCorkle III and Sweet Orefice. I even picked Pope McCorkle III to make the finals (!). I did not expect Sweet Orefice to beat the eventual Taco Pope-Dr. Shark Bird winner, but she did. It turned out to be a pretty solid finals: Pope McCorkle III and Sweet Orefice. Pope McCorkle III pulled out the win. What a great year of names.
Facebook Trending Topics
Facebook has been accused by an anonymous former worker of suppressing conservative news from the "Trending Topics" portion of its site. Already, the Senate GOP has sought answers from Facebook. This is really a silly conversation to have, and the GOP senators should know better.
Let's go down the rabbit hole a bit here. Let's say that the conservative suppression happened, even though Facebook denies it and there's only an anonymous source or two backing it up. So what? The government cannot, should not and will not intervene in a private media company's news judgment decisions. 1) That'd mean the government decides what's fair and not fair to print. 2) If the government interjects itself in Facebook's news decisions, what's to stop them from doing the same with the New York Times or the Washington Post? 3) If you're wanting to be "fair," then why not do the same for Fox News or Huffington Post? Any objective analysis shows those two have differing news priorities. 4) Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said, that it's "just a matter of transparency and honesty, and there shouldn't be any attempt to mislead the American public." Please. If politicians would only take their own advice!
Summary Judgments
I found this story to be a pretty well-researched, good analysis of the electoral college outlook. • • • Edible, chicken-flavored nail polish is apparently something a real company (KFC) decided should exist. • • • Beware unverified cute stories: This story about a 15-year-old Canadian boy who found a lost Mayan city sounds incredible. And it would be — if true. But so far, there's little to back it up, and people who know more about it — Mayan experts — doubt the discovery. • • • I'm fond of Drew Magary's yearly message to college graduates, because they're the sort of tough but honest talk you don't often hear. This year's is no exception. It's foul-mouthed, but has a great point about "safe spaces" and human decency. • • • I haven't been running this week. I've had bad allergies and a lingering cough. Last week I ran 2.5 miles three times, but the third time ended with a cough-induced "upheaval," so I've decided to take it easy until the cough is gone. I'll probably be OK next week. • • • We're kind of introducing the idea of the potty to Evie. She's been saying potty-related words lately, so one day after she said "Peepee" a couple of times and grabbed at her diaper, Alyson took her into the potty. After a minute or so, Alyson turned on the water for encouragement, and it worked! She peed in the potty! Of course, Curious Roland then stuck his hand in it, so it wasn't all roses. She hasn't done it since then, but it was a surprising start.
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