Sigh. The French again.

What can you say?

Tea Party Pickup Lines

Because even those with an libertarian bent can be a little dickish...

Ah, remember junior high school?

Happy dog

Failed marriage proposals

Because you gotta feel for the guy. Or, in this case, guys.

You know you want it...

Techie porn

Math class funnies

Their list goes to 11.

Greenscreening--it's everywhere!

The Fed rolls out a web site to inform consumers about credit cards

And (surprise!) it isn't bad.

Cleveland: Most miserable city?

Standard anti-Cleveland bias here ("river" caught fire, defaulted 30 years ago blah blah). But it'll get headlines in any case.

On political journalism

George Packer has a very smart piece on political writing among the beltway journalists. Going far beyond "horse race journalism," what passes for opinion pieces these days are not attempts to get at the truth of statements, but about the perceptions surrounding the effectiveness of tactics and posture.

TSA stupidity

TSA apologizes for asking 4 year old to remove leg braces to go through screener.

Yes, "swabbing" him would have been so much better.

Global warming skeptics and "truth"

Or, always check the primary documents, since getting your global warming information third hand can lead to the understanding that is the opposite of the truth.

Texas and moving the goalposts

How Christian were the founders?

Using the yearly circus that is the Texas State Board of Education, Russell Shorto examines the basic underpinning of religious fundamentalism's basic thrust into politics: That the Founding Fathers were religious fundamentalists who founding this country as a "Christian Nation."

Of course, many of these people (like Don McLeroy in the article) will lie if they have to to get their bias into the curriculum. Like Christians in the Crusades, they can self-excuse virtually any non-Christian act so long as they sincerely believe they are doing it for Christian goals.

[As an aside, it struck me that beliefs and actions they take against evolution mimics to a T those same beliefs and actions with regard to global warming. Who needs science when you really, really believe you are right? Just call the other side "frauds" who are "only in it to make money" and you'll feel really good about your actions].

Haiti, updated

For those keeping track at home: Haiti death toll now set at 230,000

The My Way Killings

Always something new in the world to learn. Who knew singing "My Way" in the Philippines might get you killed? A good travel tip.

Palin

Andrew Sullivan has, of course, gone around the bend on Sarah Palin. Like a car wreck it is hard to turn away, but I certainly hope he'll realize he's playing right into her hands with the constant attention.

Meanwhile, half of me hopes America will now wake up to the vacuousness of Sarah Palin. Half of me hopes they'll wake up after she's gotten the GOP nomination.

Meanwhile, it seems that "real folks" use manual teleprompters.

Centralia, Pennsylvania

Ghost town to-be

A fire older than I am finally forces town to close. Here's a page with pictures and more information. The place is in the middle of nowhere, but only an hour or two away from me.

Right path/wrong path?

These numbers are still way too high. But this graph is kinda cool:

Holy crap, what's next?

Sen Chambliss: Repealing DADT would cause the armed forces to allow "alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art."

Jeez, and after that maybe a lot of working out with weights and stuff.

The horror! What would our military look like, should that terrible day dawn, in which the military men and women engage in "alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art?" Next thing you know, the phrase "sailor on leave" would no longer be a metaphor.

Turning it up to 11

Sen. Shelby blocks all Obama nominations until he gets his money.

Maybe this will finally start the ball rolling to get rid of holds. Whatever purpose they once had has been overwhelmed by such actions as this.

Cool abandoned city

Maybe it is the urban archaeologist in me, but I love shows and pictures about abandoned cities. Imagining how it was, and how it might still come to life someday. Here's another--the Western State Mental Hospital in Staunton, Virginia.

NFL thinks it can make a buck

So it claims it owns "Who Dat" in relation to the Saints. They pretend to be confused by it just enough to claim they own rights. Obnoxious, indeed.

Myths of the American Revolution

Very nice piece in Smithsonian Magazine by John Ferling.

Maybe it is time to give a little something back

Maybe drive someone to chemo once in awhile. Tutor a kid. Play music for some old folks. Worth a look to at least see what is in your area: All for Good.

Know your obscure Star Wars quote...

Why not?