December 2011
1 post
August 2010
2 posts
“Once you take morality out of it, you invite a rational challenge to all manner...”
– Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. From Time.
How dare we base our system of justice on rationality!
June 2010
1 post
May 2010
5 posts
On "security"
Note: photos and observations of my Canadian adventure will come layer. For now, this.
Looking at the crush of cars filling six lanes and stretching as far south as I could see trying to cross the Canadian border, I initially marveled at my good fortune. Through some extraordinary stroke of luck, the three lanes allowing entrance to the U.S. were virtually deserted. I did not even need to wait...
TRIP JOURNAL - DAY 0
I can’t really count this as the first day of my vacation, as I wasn’t able to leave until 2:30 in the afternoon (had to wait for the mail). Regardless, my venture did technically start today, and I made it to the campground with hardly any bumps in the road.
Whenever I journey over to Seattle, I always make a point to stop at Elliott Bay Books. Though no Powell’s (best...
“Regulators plan to enact new rules to curb the type of market volatility behind...”
– Wall Street to install ‘circuit breaker’ to head off market gyrations - Computerworld
How is it that the one regulation no one’s thought of is to BAN automatic trading systems? Maybe if there were actual people sitting in front of the stupid exchange watching stocks go up and...
“I don’t take people who chase an orange ball around for a living very seriously...”
– This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » Go Spurs
He doesn’t take athletes seriously because … he disagrees with what they think? If you’re setting aside your sporting allegiances (originally formed, one presumes, due to geographical proximity) to...
Speaking of hacks ...
Selig Can Send Message on Arizona Immigration Law
In 18 years as the head of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig has been fed a steady stream of fastballs. There have been labor fastballs and steroid fastballs, pitches he has learned how to hit. Lately, he has been taking his hacks at human growth hormone fastballs.
I realize if you’re writing about sports you’re legally mandated to use...
April 2010
12 posts
“Finally, to all you boycotty bands: focus. In Iran, homosexuality is punishable...”
– Big Hollywood » Blog Archive » Daily Gut: Boycotting the Boycotters
His point is utterly logical - you shouldn’t complain about small injustices until every larger one is fixed. I for one, am convinced. I will boycott any and all travel to Iran.
“Under the Illinois proposal, teens who send racy images to just each other would...”
– Illinois’ teen sexting bill aims to educate, not criminalize
It’s been so long since I’ve seen government a) identify a problem, b) formulate a rational response to said problem, and c) craft and pass the appropriate legislation without being watered-down or diluted that I almost...
California's Media Shield Law Might Let You Get...
No, seriously. To catch you up to speed, Gizmodo (a tech blog) got its hands on an iPhone 4 protoype last week. An engineer “lost it” (up for contention) at the bar, some guy got his hands on it and sold it to the blog for $5000. Now, Apple is apparently claiming the phone was stolen, as a search warrant was served at the house of the Gizomodo EIC (Jason Chen).
Gizmodo’s COO...
An Excellent No-Win Situation
JPL worker sues over intelligent design demotion
A Jet Propulsion Laboratory worker who distributed religious DVDs on the job is suing the JPL for discrimination after he was demoted.
David Coppedge’s lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles County says he was demoted last April for sharing his views in the workplace. He wants a court order allowing him to discuss his beliefs.
Though from...
Notes from under my window
I live in a decidedly white-trash part of town. This was not a conscious decision on my part, as I rented this apartment solely on the basis of its geographical proximity to work. However, upon moving in, I noticed most of the residents who occupy the other units in this building are true-blood Idahoans in every stereotypical sense.
This much I knew already.
What I didn’t know is all those...
“HUGH Jackman will be taking on his most challenging role yet, playing a man with...”
– Hugh Jackman Is Going To Have To Start Wearing Pants On His Face | Videogum
Life imitating South Park.
“Stevens cracked Japanese code for the military during World War II, and yet he...”
– Inside Justice Stevens’s Retirement Dilemma - Newsweek.com
Ugh. Just ugh, Newsweek.
“Forcing our schools to instruct children on how to utilize contraceptives...”
– Prosecutor: Teach sex ed, go to jail - Broadsheet - Salon.com
Much the same as teaching gun safety encourages children to go around shooting each other. OH WAIT, that’s not the same thing at all.
“Bristol Palin says that if girls knew how tough it was to be a mom, they’d...”
– Bristol Palin to teens: “Pregnancy can wait” - Pregnancy - Salon.com
Horses, barn door, etc.
“After her failed bid for the vice presidency, she was more or less told to head...”
– The Media Equation - Sarah Palin’s Lucrative Career in Mainstream Media - NYTimes.com
What in the holy fuck does this sentence mean? Governor of Alaska = Metaphorical Kitchen? I fail to see the sexism inherent in assuming a failed a vice presidential candidate will serve at least the remainder of...
“… Scott impressed Wright with his flashy intelligence and fusillade of...”
– “Desperate Networks,” Bill Carter
I don’t know where to even begin understanding what this means.
March 2010
11 posts
Companies Push to Repeal Provision of Health... →
Oh noes! God forbid we should ever do anything that doesn’t maximize profits for private corporations.
“Interesting Alaskan attractions like the river where Sarah Palin first fell in...”
– Sarah Palin Owns Alaska Now | TV | Hater | The A.V. Club
“Two former high school teachers running for governor in Georgia were suspended...”
– Two in Georgia Governor’s Race Disciplined for Misconduct With Students - NYTimes.com
What the hell’s going on in Georgia?
“Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are expecting another baby. [PopEater]
Meanwhile,...”
– Comedy Central Insider
A lesson in PR
The official Vatican exorcist:
“All evil is due to the intervention of the Devil, including pedophilia.” He also added that contemporary culture has “given in to the Evil One. You see it in the lack of faith, the empty churches, the collapse of the family. Compare the world of today to when I was a boy in Modena: families and parish communities were strong, women did not go out...
Andrew Breitbart = TROLL
However, as I mean to prove, the current youth ethos embodied by internet subculture is fundamentally conservative in character, even if its denizens have not yet caught on to that fact.
- From Internet Lays Foundation for GOP Rebirth.
Here’s the logic tree he used to support this claim:
The internet likes memes 4Chan creates memes Ron Paul was a meme Ron Paul is a Republican The...
“But given the industry’s allies in the Senate it was clear the bill could not...”
– Obama’s Student Loan Overhaul Endangered - NYTimes.com
Huh. Wonder how we, the people, can get some of those allies. Oh, well. Best just let corporations spend unlimited amounts of cash in elections. That’s free speech, doncha know?
“Texas has chosen to preserve its sovereign authority to determine what is...”
– Math and English classes could be standardized - Education - Salon.com
That’s right, Robert Scott. You and your state (ranked 49th for people graduating high school) just keep on doin’ what you’re doing.
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether the father of...”
– Supreme Court Roundup - Court Takes Case of Church Protesting Marine’s Funeral - NYTimes.com
You think Citizens United v. FEC was bad? This is going to be a shit-show regardless of how it’s decided.
“They cited two comments she posted on Facebook, the popular social networking...”
– ESU professor suspended for comments made on Facebook page | PoconoRecord.com
These are very clearly jokes. No tolerance =/= no sense of humor. Come on, people. Want to know the best way to get people bottling everything inside and shooting up the place? Don’t allow them to harmlessly vent...
February 2010
13 posts
Killer Whale Kills Sea World Worker
From the NYT:
A killer whale killed a SeaWorld Orlando trainer who slipped or fell in its tank Wednesday, drowning her in front of a horrified audience.
… How is this news?
“The standard 99¢ price for songs proved a strong catalyst for sales, and the...”
– Networks hesitant on Apple’s push for 99¢ TV episodes
Dear eBook publishers: Please, for the love of God, STOP trying to contravene history. Music did it, TV’s about to do the same, and you’re showing every indication of following them into the breach. It won’t work out well...
“An inside source told press, “Hayden went from an A to a C cup, and she couldn’t...”
– Hayden Panettiere Opts for Bigger Boobs - DailyFill.com
Because if you’re looking to get away from the blond cheerleader stereotype, bigger boobs is the way to go! I’m afraid Ms. Panettiere has seriously overestimated her breasts’ acting ability.
“Investigators believe a suicidal pilot flew a small plane into an IRS building...”
– Pilot flies plane into IRS building | WIVB.com
Flying a plane into a building is an act intended to cause fear, specifically in the hearts of those who work in or control the operations of said building. Just because they’re not “Islamofascists” does not mean it’s not...
TV News ...
From The Newscasters: The News Business As Show Business:
Anchorman Bill Beutel had just read a news item about an alleged rape attack on an eight-year-old girl. Riger Grimsby then came on the air and introduced [Tex] Antoine and his weathercast.
Antoine’s first words, presumably spoken in the lighthearted spirit that flavors all Eyewitness newscasts, were of such blatantly bad taste that they...
“At home on her computer, Ms. Evans created a Facebook page titled “Ms. Sarah...”
– Student Online Speech Suit Can Go On - NYTimes.com
Students do not (and legally should not) forfeit their Constitutional rights simply because of their age. Also, what kind of adult would claim to to be “cyberbullied” by a student saying she disliked her as a teacher?
“With the iPad, the whole notion of e-book reading is probably going to become...”
– The Cost of an E-Book Will Be Going Up - NYTimes.com
Um, no? Pretty sure the advent of a $500+ piece of technology is not going to spur reading more than the $7.99 mass market paperback bestsellers that you can grab at the Wal-Mart or grocery store.
“Perhaps the inevitable conclusion here is the one nobody wants to say out loud:...”
– Why Veterans Deserve Special Courts - Dahlia Lithwick - Newsweek.com
If it’s the inevitable conclusion that treatment works better than incarceration, why the hell are we still using incarceration at all? Let’s just reform the entire criminal justice system, which would a) eliminate...
“Now that my focus has been enlarged, I sure as heck better be more astute on...”
– Palin Keeps a Crib Sheet on Her Palm - NYTimes.com
How much larger is the focus than for Vice President of the United States? I realize making fun of Palin is like shooting water in a barrel, but still.
“We were appalled when we found out,” says Brown, who’s a registered...”
– The government has your baby’s DNA - CNN.com
I can see health insurance, but what specific part of the genetic code can tell you your baby’s going to be an itinerant vagrant? Perhaps potential employers will look up the family’s documented history of total lunacy.
“According to the suit, “as it was being handed to her by an employee of the...”
– Another woman sues McDonald’s for hot coffee spill | Guyism
$318 for lost wages AND medical expenses? Apparently she must work at the McDonald’s and used a band-aid out of the first-aid kit.
“After a week of sustained attacks led by former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and a...”
– White House Challenges G.O.P. Critics of Terrorism Policy - NYTimes.com
I LOVE this strategy. Pander to the people who are never going to agree with you, while at the same time pissing off those who elected you for the specific reason of DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY. Beautiful.
“When Andrew Breitbart, the founder of BigGovernment.com, introduced Ms. Palin by...”
– Palin Assails Obama at Tea Party Meeting - NYTimes.com
- Yes, that’s the sort of healthy sign of an informed democracy we like to see.
January 2010
7 posts
On Miracles ...
On Saturday, the French news agency Agence France-Presse reported that one Scientologist from Paris who gave her name as Sylvie claimed that the controversial church’s techniques were working:
“We’re trained as volunteer ministers; we use a process called ‘assist’ to follow the nervous system to reconnect the main points, to bring back communication,” she said. “When you get a sudden shock to...
“Channel 4 looks set to become embroiled in another taste row after backing a...”
– - The Daily Mail
We’re so tantalizingly close to televising executions!
These two things are related ...
I do want us to move on from Reid’s comments. It is crucial to get moving on an important political agenda this year. But I also hope that we as Americans move away from narrow, racialized notions about whose voice is valuable and deserves to be heard.
- Salon
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 7/27-30. All adults. MoE 2%
Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America...
““The game is all based on math,” said his dad, calling it more...”
– Seattle Times
A dad, on his son playing in the Pokemon Trading Card Game World Tournament. The things we force ourselves to believe …
“You know those parents who put their kid on a leash and, while they’re...”
– Salon