Sunday, October 23, 2005

From the Onion Oh the horror of it all! (Via Buridan's Ass.) 9:26:38 PM    comment []

Some People Call Me Maurice Lolita, The Ginger Man, Candy, Henry Miller's books, Barry Malzberg, The Traveller's Companion Series. Earl Kemp gives us a long series of fine pieces about Maurice Girodias, who gave us so much on the way to trying to give us some porn. Includes a very nice short memoir by Malzbert: "You son of a bitch,” he pointed out, “you made me crazy, do you know that? I ask you this time for pornography, a simple work of pornography, give you a plot and everything and ask you to keep it simple and low-class, I publish one book for you and ask you to this for me and what do you do? You give me 40 pages which are beautiful, just beautiful, you even know the color of that one’s bush how you tell that? And then what do you give me? You give me horse-racing, you give me existentialism, you give me despair! You give me terrible anxiety and depression! You give me pain and thwarted desire! This book will sell 400 copies, I have to publish it hardcover too because in paperback everyone will throw it away; I have to publish it because it is a masterpiece, but you destroy me, do you understand?” 9:24:07 PM    comment []

A Classic One of the best from The Onion: God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy: ‘No,’ Says God “I am the Lord thy God, who created the rivers and the mountains, the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon and the stars. Before Me sits My beloved child, whose faith is that of the mustard seed from which grows mighty and powerful things. My child, Timmy Yu, I say unto you thus: I have heard your prayers, and now I shall answer them. No, you cannot get out of your wheelchair. Not ever.” Put this one up on your wall. It’s a great conversation starter (or stopper, depending on the context). (Via God is for Suckers!.) 9:01:55 PM    comment []

The New Yorker: Fact Great, very funny profile of the wonderful Sarah Silverman whose bit in the Aristocrats was so brilliant: Silverman crosses boundaries that it would not occur to most people even to have. The more innocent and oblivious her delivery, the more outrageous her commentary becomes. Lenny Bruce's "Jews killed Christ" joke (%u201CI did it. My family. . . . Not only did we kill Christ, we're going to kill him when he comes back") is reprised with a harder edge. "Everybody blames the Jews for killing Christ," Silverman says. "And then the Jews try to pass it off on the Romans. I'm one of the few people that believe it was the blacks." 8:55:29 PM    comment []

Guiness This is a great Guiness Ad. 5:16:53 PM    comment []

DeLay Flies Corporate Jet to Arraignment Tom DeLay has been criminally indicted for facilitating the illegal use of corporate funds in Texas campaigns. How did he arrive at his arraignment?: DeLay’s staff disclosed that he flew to Houston on Thursday morning on a corporate jet owned by R.J. Reynolds, a longtime contributor that has flown him to Puerto Rico and other destinations. When he landed, DeLay held a press conference and called allegations that he allowed corporate dollars to improperly influence the political process “contrived and baseless.” (Via Think Progress.) 5:09:51 PM    comment []

Theory Is As Theory Does Is it too early to conclude that the testimony of Michael Behe at the Dover intelligent design trial in U.S. District Court has been a disaster of unimaginable proportions for the Dover School Board, Discovery Institute, and the ID movement? When the dust settles, supporters of science education in the U.S. may conclude that with enemies like Behe, we don't really need friends. Here's a tasty little excerpt from the official transcript where Dr. Behe is forced to own up to the fact that the definition of "scientific theory" employed by intelligent design "theorists" opens the door to such sciences as astrology. PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY ERIC ROTHSCHILD: But the way you are using it [Defining scientific theory, RSR] is synonymous with the definition of hypothesis? MICHAEL BEHE: No, I would disagree. It can be used to cover hypotheses, but it can also include ideas that are in fact well substantiated and so on. So while it does include ideas that are synonymous or in fact are hypotheses, it also includes stronger senses of that term. Q: And using your definition, intelligent design is a scientific theory, correct? A: Yes. Q: Under that same definition astrology is a scientific theory under your definition, correct? A: Under my definition, a scientific theory is a proposed explanation which focuses or points to physical, observable data and logical inferences. There are many things throughout the history of science which we now think to be incorrect which nonetheless would fit that – which would fit that definition. Yes, astrology is in fact one, and so is the ether theory of the propagation of light, and many other -- many other theories as well. Q: The ether theory of light has been discarded, correct? A: That is correct. Q: But you are clear, under your definition, the definition that sweeps in intelligent design, astrology is also a scientific theory, correct? A: Yes, that’s correct. And let me explain under my definition of the word "theory," it is -- a sense of the word "theory" does not include the theory being true, it means a proposition based on physical evidence to explain some facts by logical inferences. There have been many theories throughout the history of science which looked good at the time which further progress has shown to be incorrect. Nonetheless, we can’t go back and say that because they were incorrect they were not theories. So many many things that we now realized to be incorrect, incorrect theories, are nonetheless theories. Note: Here's how the American Association for the Advancement of Science defines "scientific theory:" A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world. The theory of biological evolution is more than "just a theory." It is as factual an explanation of the universe as the atomic theory of matter or the germ theory of disease. Our understanding of gravity is still a work in progress. But the phenomenon of gravity, like evolution, is an accepted fact. (Via Red State Rabble.) 12:56:05 PM    comment []

If we really had a liberal media that functioned l... If we really had a liberal media that functioned like the conservative media , this would be a huge story: Bush motorcade leaves other folks fuming One hundred Brentwood kindergartners, many dressed in costumes, were all set to go see "The Wizard of Oz" on Friday when their first-ever field trip was blocked by the nation's 43rd president. They never got to see the wizard. President George W. Bush, his Marine One helicopter grounded by fog, brought morning rush hour to a standstill while his motorcade proceeded from West Los Angeles through the San Fernando Valley to Simi Valley for the dedication of the Air Force One Pavilion. "We had buses all loaded up - but by the time they got to school it was too late," said Julie Fahn, a volunteer mom at Kenter Canyon Elementary in Brentwood, where girls had dressed as Dorothy to see the play performed in Malibu.... Hmm, let's see: Google hits for "clinton haircut," more than twelve years after the fact? 266,000. That story will never die. Never mind the fact that no flights were actually delayed by the runway haircut, according to a Newsday report at the time. (Story via Democratic Underground.) (Via No More Mister Nice Blog.) 12:21:06 PM    comment []

Give 'em Some Stankeye!: Stankeye's 10 Most Hated Active Players in Baseball Today. For Giants fans only, some good reading, though my list would be different. Poor Neifi's position, though, is solid. (Via Give 'em Some Stankeye!.) 12:20:19 PM    comment []

Right-wing blogosphere: Sloppy or just liars? The Daou Report reports that the top right-wing blogs are going nuts over the fact that the Quakers are holding a series of memorials across the nation to mourn the upcoming passing of the 2,000th US soldier killed in Iraq. Of course, it's hard to get riled up over a Quaker. But not to fear. The top right-wing blogs - with Little Green Footballs and Michelle Malkin leading the way - are libeling the Quakers by calling their candlelight vigils "parties," ostensibly, one infers, to celebrate the deaths of American soldiers. Are LGF and Malkin sloppy or just liars. You decide. (Via AMERICAblog.) 12:00:00 PM    comment []

BuzzFlash's GOP Hypocrite Of The Week Hey, it's Friday, which means it's time to check out BuzzFlash's "GOP Hypocrite Of The Week." And, despite the usual grueling process to narrow the selection to just one Republican hypocrite, BuzzFlash selects William Kristol, neo-con poster boy from the Weekly Standard. An excerpt: If there is a neo-con intellectual elite, William Kristol is their most ubiquitous spokesperson. With a job at the Rupert Murdoch-subsidized "Weekly Standard," Kristol is the William Buckley of the PNAC crowd. But Kristol just uses a ten-dollar vocabulary to mouth the same basic Republican message points and platitudes that slip off of Bill O'Reilly's prostituted tongue. So now Kristol, FOX News, and the entire right wing echo chamber are claiming that investigating treason, perjury and the obstruction of justice is a trivial waste of time. Kristol's Karl Rove/Frank Luntz focus-group tested charge is that Patrick Fitzgerald is part of an effort to "criminalize politics." Forget that Fitzgerald is a Bush appointed U.S. Attorney who was assigned by Bush's justice department to investigate TreasonGate. Forget that it was the Republicans who unrelentingly abused the judicial and Congressional process to try and impeach a Democratic President over an act of fellatio. Forget that it was Kristol and his cohorts who told America that their only concern was the consistent application of the rule of law when it came to Clinton. You can read – and hear! – the rest at GOPhypocrites.com. (Via Yellow Dog Blog.) 11:50:14 AM    comment []

No comment Double Plus Ungood I thank all of you who have been so supportive recently. I have never before received so much positive feedback, and it was very heart-warming to know that so many people out there care. Having said that, it breaks my heart to say that this will be my last post on this blog. I wish I could just stop there, but I can not. The following also needs to be said: For the record, I am officially a supporter of the administration and of her policies. I am a proponent for the war against terror and I believe in the mission in Iraq. I understand my role in that mission, and I accept it. I understand that I signed the contract which makes stop loss legal, and I retract any statements I made in the past that contradict this one. Furthermore, I have the utmost confidence in the leadership of my chain of command, including (but not limited to) the president George Bush and the honorable secretary of defense Rumsfeld. If I have ever written anything on this site or on others that lead the reader to believe otherwise, please consider this a full and complete retraction. Daniel, “stop lossed” soldier, second tour in Iraq, on his discontinued blog. Obviously, objectively pro-Saddam. I hope everyone is enjoying their freedom. Via Tattered Coat. … UPDATE: Motherfuckers. (Via The Poor Man Institute.) 11:38:01 AM    comment []

Health Care Poll: Americans Want Change by EDM Staff A just-released Harris Interactive Poll should strongly encourage Democratic candidates to support a broad range of health care reforms. The poll, conducted 9/6-12, measured attitudes of Americans of different faiths on a dozen health and health care-related... (Via DonkeyRising.) 11:33:35 AM    comment []

The Psychopath in the White House Killing Frogs and Iraqis. Is George W. a Psychopath? George McGovern,... (Via t r u t h o u t.) 11:31:43 AM    comment []

WHAT REPUBLICANISM NOW MEANS: An interesting diges... WHAT REPUBLICANISM NOW MEANS: An interesting digest of what the GOP now represents: Number of Pork Projects in Federal Spending Bills 2005 - 13,997 2004 - 10,656 2003 - 9,362 2002 - 8,341 2001 - 6,333 2000 - 4,326 1999 - 2,838 1998 - 2100 1997 - 1,596 1996 - 958 1995 - 1439 Notice the doubling under Bush and his big-spending cronies and allies. You think these people will respond to "PorkBusters" campaigns? Puh-lease. They'll respond only when they are thrown out of office. (Via Daily Dish.) 11:12:20 AM    comment []

The ugliness of College Republicans, part 2 Benjamin Wallace-Wells has written a devastating profile of Patrick McHenry, a young Republican Congressman who is the prototypical foot soldier of the Rove-DeLay-Norquist machine. It's all worth reading, but this paragraph below is yet another window into the ugly training in smear politics that College Republicans gives future party elites: The College Republicans have legendarily been the starting point, the training and networking ground, for the careers of all of the party's most influential activists: Lee Atwater, Grover Norquist, Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove. And producing Roves and Atwaters, tactical geniuses and election-winners, is exactly what the organization is set up to do: The organization is a four-year crash course in how to win votes from conservatives, in electioneering, with its members running endlessly for College Republican state board, College Republican state treasurer, College Republican national committee. There's a balls-out element to these contests, to the infighting; when I talked to College Republicans in North Carolina, I heard constant, ridiculous allegations thrown at rivals within the organizations. This rival had an illegitimate son in Tennessee, that one paid for an abortion for some poor girl from Missouri. When I asked an innocent question about a network of political consultants in Raleigh, one College Republican stopped me immediately: "Surely you must have heard," he said ominously, his drawl thick, "about them bisexual orgies." Later, the smears continued during the recent leadership fight within the organization: At the convention, things got competitive, then grotesque. Convention speakers were deleted out of the program at the last minute, replaced by figures who supported Gourley. Delegations switched allegiances for mysterious reasons in the dead of night; virtually everybody accused virtually everybody else of being gay. As The New Republic's Franklin Foer reported in a recent account of the CRNC convention, the Gourley-Davidson contest began in earnest after Norquist reminded delegates from the podium that "there are no rules in a knife fight." (For more on the ugliness of the College Republicans, see this post.) (Via Brendan Nyhan.) Steve: So it looks like we're in for another generation of Republican slime attacks on their opponents. Remember, you vote for this scum, you get what you deserve. 10:48:24 AM    comment []

APOD: 2005 October 23 - At the Center of the Milk Way I find this portrait of the inner part of the milky way incredibly compelling, hypnotic. What an amazing, dangerous, place! 10:23:15 AM    comment []

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