Of course they are, John

John McCain: "Illegal immigrants are intentionally causing accidents on the freeways."

[Insert snarky response here]

How the Right has re-defined "judicial restraint" to mean "judicial activism against law we don't like."

A great piece on how the Right has re-defined "judicial restraint" to mean "judicial activism against law we don't like."

[D]uring the Warren era, activism usually meant asking the Supreme Court to bring a few state outliers into line with a national consensus—on racial discrimination, for example. By contrast, Roberts Court-era conservatives are urging unelected judges to strike down landmark federal laws that passed over their objections, at least some of which command broad national support.

SCOTUS opening

The GOP has already come out against whoever it is that Obama will nominate to replace Stevens on the bench.

The White House response has been that the solid GOP opposition frees him to pick whoever he wants, without bothering to even talk with them.

Probably not the response they were hoping for...

Dead and dying languages...

A linguist friend of mine muses about being a terminal speaker.

Reminds me of the listverse post, 12 Last Known Speakers of a Language.

"Lost" IPhone or devious plant?

IPhone prototype found in California bar.

Obama and the drive for common ground

I just ran across this excellent post about Obama vis-a-vis "placation." Worth a full read.

Typo of the year

"Freshly ground black people..."

Coming out...

First Ricky Martin. Now one of my favorite Christian artists--Jennifer Knapp!

I know she shrugs off the "Christian artist" label, but anyone who openly struggles with their faith, coming from a Christian perspective, in acoustic guitar-oriented pop is squarely a "Christian artist" in my book.

Where are they flying to?

A public service, for those who want to fly to Europe right now. Good luck with that.

This might be taking it a little too far

Man jailed for intentionally vomiting on Phillies fans...

The closing of the conservative mind

Late to the debate, but an excellent post on the current conservative echo chamber

Daniel Larison at American Conservative Mag drills down a little more:

In movement-world, Iraq had little or nothing to do with what happened in the 2006 midterms–it was spending and earmarks! In movement-world, the financial crisis was caused pretty much entirely by the Community Reinvestment Act and the GSEs. You might have never known that the Federal Reserve, FASB 157, and Bush’s “ownership society” housing policy even existed if you relied on mainstream conservative media, because these things might implicate the “wrong side” in contributing to the disaster. Critical thinking, self-criticism and a willingness to revisit and abandon assumptions were all notably absent. As movement conservatives see things today, Obama either rejects American exceptionalism or simply loathes America (and in some circles the debate is simply over where he learned this loathing), and he is doing all he can to weaken America and hasten American decline. Their new political stars and leading pundits spout nonsense on foreign policy, and they make blustery proclamations of the uniqueness and superiority of American social mobility and economic dynamism that are flatly untrue. There is an impulse to self-congratulation and hubris in all of this that tends to hamper clear and critical thinking.

Peddling fake anti-Obama quotes...in Italian!

“The best explanation I can find is that this obscure freelancer had hit upon a way of selling articles by attributing anti-Obama sentiments to famous American writers."

If only you can count them first...

TC with a great anecdote from one of the best non-fiction books by an American every written

10 Rules for Dealing with the Police

Wonder how many Tea Party members think about their 4th Amendment rights...?

The Right, and Race

Megan responds to some unwarranted criticism about her posts on race. While I think all the discussions, in the aggregate, are good, I think the Right still has clear problems with its dealings with race and rushing to define this as some sort of "post racial era" is so obviously self-serving as to be a problem itself.

The fact that they don't know what to do with the buffoon Michael Steele as the head of the RNC only crystallizes the problem. He got the job partially because of his race, and he holds it only because of it. A white guy would have been bounced long, long ago. For good reason.

Cameron & Brown and lost children

I was greatly moved by the quote from Wife in the North which Andrew Sullivan used regarding the fact that both men trying to be elected to be Britain's Prime Minister both lost children. Worth quoting in full, again:

My child (stillborn at term) would be 10 if I hadn't lost him. Lost him like a sock or glove or pair of spectacles for reading. Just like that. But worse. And what these pundits don't understand is Brown and Cameron don't have a choice to talk or not to talk, to weep or not to weep, because the life and death of their children runs right through them.

Tragedy defines them more than any manifesto ever could. Whatever power each man holds or chases, he would abandon it all, without hesitation, for just one more day with his lost child.

He would sell his own soul for his lovely political wife never to have had her heart broken up into ugly pieces that no policy or strategic thinking - however clever and well-meaning - could ever mend. These party leaders may day-dream of glory, but at night they dream of sons and daughters they can no longer hold.

They are not wrong to talk about it, they are right. Unspoken griefs twist and turn and do not grow smaller for darkness and a lack of air. They speak their children's names and they tell of their sorrows because to do otherwise would be to deny those children, it would be to say those children came and went, and that coming and that going did not matter in the scheme of things. Honesty in politicians - isn't that a good thing?

Economic cheerleading

Marc Ambinder with a smart piece on the cheerleaders. I've tried to make this point several times but not as well as Marc has.

Lying to save face

No, not the Vatican (that would be another post entirely). The Bush Administration, who decided to hold and torture people they knew were innocent because it put them in a politically difficult position.

Imagine a current Tea Party member, railing about the possibility of Obama grabbing someone who was politically without power, holding and torturing them for years without charges. Then trying their hardest to erase the evidence from the American people. Crazy, eh? Now multiply that times hundreds and you'll get what was the standard operating procedure for the Bush Administration, one which the Tea Party members would love to have back in office (you know, the fiscally irresponsible one where individual rights were subject to veto power by the Political Officer...)

Fake news

Somewhat dated report, but I've got to believe this is still going on.

more time wasting

8 romantic songs that are really about rape.

New progress in portable desalination

Great news, particularly for those in future disaster areas. The ability not only to remove salt from seawater but 99% of contaminants could be the difference between widespread sickness (and death) and life.

Seizing property, for profit

Asset seizing goes up and up and up

Just in time for Passover

Jewish Elders lift Ham Ban

Danger!

Parents give newborns "Danger" as their middle names.

Some of the jokes are just too obvious to bother typing, I think.

Advice for gay politicians

Via Andrew Sullivan (who else?). Funny stuff.

An ideal life

And:

A Good Day, Ice Cube Style:

The Bible, seen from outer space

Cool concept.

Jesus Christ, Supercized?

Not original, I'm sure. But here's a pretty good debunking of the latest meme on the internets, about how painters have been making the food portions at the Last Supper bigger & bigger...

Go George!

my newest time waster...

Viral Video Film School

Ziplining to school

The latest viral photo.

In non-Tea Party news..

Obama negotiates new treaty with Russia over nuclear weapons.

All quiet on the Right....

GOP: Doubling Down on Childishness

John McCain: "Wah! Wah! Don't expect any more cooperation from us!"

Thinking about death. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

A DailyKos writer, going through chemo, does some hard thinking about something we typically avoid.

Hmmmm.

Looks like a huge percentage of the money taken in by Sean Hannity's Freedom Concerts is going to---the Hannity's.

Where's the outrage on the right for such "Chicago-style" accounting?

Xavier's most valuable player

I remember Sister Rose from my time at Xavier. She's very good at what she does. And she's 77-0.

6 worst computer games

Defiantly some crapolas here.

25 years ago someone had a nice night in Somerton, Arizona

Time capsule opened up, but no brandy.

Total solar eclipse paths, 2001-2025

For the inner (and outer) geek.

blowing it all

7 athletes who blew all their money.

Why not?

HT: Andrew Sullivan

I'm just saying...

Todd Palin: Padding his environment-chewing habit with money from Hugo Chavez.

Absolutely.

Facebook update: WIN!

Jon Stewart takes a look at ChatRoulette

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tech-Talch - Chatroulette
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Irony alert

CA State Senator opposed to gay marriage arrested for DUI after leaving a gay nightclub.

Can't blame the guy. I'd probably have to be wasted to go into one of those places too...

Electing grownups

This is what we get when we elect grownups. A guy who doesn't beat his chest and crow about it.

A few weeks ago Cheney and Biden went head to head on the handling of the war on terror. Other than Cheney admitting to war crimes, it was standard factually-challenged blather from the former Veep.

Biden, on the other hand, already knew about the capture of the top Taliban military commander. He could have thrown it in Cheney's face, but chose not to.

One's a grownup (a blowhard, but a grownup). The other is a bully.

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?

The real threat to children: Homophobia

Great piece by Rob Tisinai:



Great blurbs, especially near the end. Well done.

Anatomy of a TV news segment

Brilliant.

GOP still seeking a soul...

The GOP apparently uses "deficit reduction" as a talking point rather than a policy direction. Not one Republican Senator voted to re-impose pay-as-you-go rules for budget outlays.

Not one. Jesus. This was a straight vote on this issue without any amendments or earmarks.

This is like Republicans complaining about abortion, the Dems offering to outlaw all third trimester abortions, and for all Republicans to vote against it.

Anyone with a paid off HUD loan?

You might be eligible for a refund of a portion of the insurance premium. Not much (mine, from a loan we paid off 7 years ago, was worth $19.22), but maybe worth a look:

search page

RNS looking for average working beachfront families...

RNC a little embarrassed at the location for their winter meeting: Waikiki, Hawai'i

Another boneheaded Michael Steele idea! Long live Michael Steele!

How can I reuse...?

UK website recyclethis has some good ideas (before you throw that thing away).

"They are selling children to gay couples for $10,000!"

Also, see if you can spot the revealing metaphor uses.

Jon Stewart--again!

He gets in a series of body blows with his response to Keith Olbermann's Malkin Moment.

Most union members working for the government

I think this is more of an indication of just how badly the private sector, particularly in traditional blue collar jobs, have fallen off the table. But I think this might also be an indication that unions need to be far, far more flexible than they traditionally have been with regard to their confrontational, "single pie" style of recruitment, retention, and negotiation.

SCOTUS pokes a big hole in campaign finance laws

SCOTUS rules that campaign finance laws are a violation of free speech rights when applied to corporations. They overturned two of their own rulings in doing so.

Wish I had time right now to drill down into this issue again. Big news. My top-of-the-head response is:

-it won't be long before individuals are excepted for the same reasons, thereby trashing campaign finance laws (for good or ill).

-the Administration will propose to disallow corporate political spending from being tax deductible.

More to come, I'm sure.

Guess who is not going to the dance?

HT: This Photo Bomb

With friends like these...

Couple busted after stealing credit card of friend--who had died on their couch.

"She would have wanted us to..."

:)

Comparing cell phone plans

A handy chart.

Meanwhile, from the Cotton in My Ears Department

Cruise ships still docking at private Haiti beaches.

"Excuse me, but can you tell the natives to stop the wailing? At least, during Happy Hour."

Weird books

Sure, you're a book lover. But have you read any of these?

The Joy of Cooking

Great piece on an amazing book. In a former life I worked at Macmillan Pubishing Company, who published this work after purchasing the old Bobbs-Merrill Publishing Company, and I handled requests to reprint recipes and other material from this work. Sometimes I'd get requests from obviously poor women who were copying recipes out of a library copy of the book and wanted permission to do so. The fact that these people were doing so (and writing to be) was sometimes heartbreaking. I guess it is OK to say so now, but I used to snag extra copies of the book and send them out to those people, usually anonymously.

Still have a copy of the 1975 edition of the book that I use all the time.

Denzel Washington Venn Diagram

I just saved you a lot of work.



HT: The Daily What

Scott Ritter is coming to my county!

You remember--former UN weapons inspector, who took a lot of flack from the Bush Administration because of Ritter's insistence that Iraq had no WMD.

He's not coming for a lecture-- he was busted in a sting for guys trolling for underage girls.

Google backing out of China?

Google took some heat for their deal several years ago with China, to set of a version of their search engine which filtered web sites that the government did not want to be viewed from their country. It looks like they might be pulling out of the country now, however, but not because of the free speech/libertarian arguments originally made against them.

woman who takes children's songs literally

GET THE BABY OUT OF THE TREE. NOW.

Kerouac will forged?

Story.

Pretty sad that the guy who probably should have had millions has been homeless for years.

When moralists crash

They crash hard. This one could bring down the Northern Ireland government.

Obama limits secrecy classifiers

Good news, this. Not as good as other news, but I'll take it.

How far would they go?

Mike Konczal with a thought exercise for the cognitively weak

Google search suggestions

Josh Levin with the lowdown

Making up crap, Tiger Woods "journalists" version

I guess when academics spend a lot of time following a non-academic story, they need to make up an academic-sounding reason:

Tiger Woods costs shareholders billions! Or not...

Health care cost vs life expectancy

A neat-o graph:



Essentially, the life expentancy rises in an almost lineal fashion with health care spending. Except for the United States, which is the outlier.

Some of the debate is here. There is some debate as to whether life expectancy is a good measure of things, that this comment rebuts rather neatly:

Certainly life expectancy isn't a perfect measure of a country's health care system, but saying that it shouldn't be used as a measure is like saying a sports team's win-loss record doesn't reflect the team's talent. At the end of the day all of the other statistics are meaningless if we come up short in the ultimate measure of success (in this case life expectancy).

I agree with you that other factors are involved, but why wouldn't obesity and teenage pregnancy be considered aspects of a country's health care system. A health care system should promote a healthy lifestyle, not just save us from an unhealhty one.