April 2010
March 2010
“It was a shocking thing to say and I knew it was a shocking thing to say. But no...”
– Philip Pullman on censorship and free speech — pithy and wonderful
“A federal appeals court says three Seattle police officers did not employ...”
– Court OKs Repeated Tasering of Pregnant Woman | Threat Level | Wired.com
My question for the court: Would you accept a police officer using a baton on someone who refused to sign a speeding ticket? How is this any different?
Life imitating "The Life of Brian" →
From the article:
[H]e was being lauded by members of an obscure religious group who had decided that Patel – a food activist who grew up in a corner shop in Golders Green in north-west London – was, in fact, the messiah.
Their reasoning? Patel’s background and work coincidentally matched a series of prophecies made by an 87-year-old Scottish mystic called Benjamin Creme, the leader of a...
“If a contest or program does not lead with social outcomes and if big money is...”
– Should We Just Blow Up Nonprofit “Vote for Me” Social Good Contests ?
Pretty interesting idea, and one that we’ve all seen: gaming the system to win a contest.
How my brain works
hurtling:
Me: The sun is so fucking bright! Her: Yep. Me: My eyes! The goggles do nothing! Her: … Me: Ooh! I have special eyewear designed for exactly this scenario! Her: You are ridiculous. Me: What? Why? Her: Because you’re incapable of just saying ‘sunglasses’ like a normal person. Me: Don’t hate. I’m a sophisticated … word-using guy. Her:...
9 Tied to Militia Are Arrested in Plot -... →
Some salient passages from the story, with reaction
“According to the indictment, the idea of attacking a police funeral was one of numerous scenarios discussed as ways to go after law enforcement officers. Other scenarios included a fake 911 call to lure an officer to his or her death, or an attack on the family of a police officer.”
Because it’s always justified to attack the...
I was at my aunt’s house, consoling her about the death of my uncle and her brother (thankfully no relation to me), came into the kitchen and started talking about how Obama was born in Indonesia. He then went into the living room and complained about Obama loudly for 20 min.
In what world is this acceptable?
I am decidedly *anti* magic beans
toldorknown:
(via entropyas)
Uh-oh.
Anyone seen a guy with a cow, about yea high?
He was just here.
<whistles nonchalantly, then takes off running>
My wife was, too, then she realized that magic beans was all a journalist could reasonably provide…
brainwidth: Jon was the middle son, and as he grew... →
Jon was the middle son, and as he grew into a teenager he was a hellraiser.
I wasn’t the only one with the idea, obviously.
1 tag
The story goes that when Jon was a teenager, he started getting in trouble. He and his friends would get into fights, steal things.
His mother prayed that something would stop him, correct his behavior somehow. She would regret that.
He was diagnosed with polio not long after. He was lucky—if anyone so diagnosed can be lucky—to be living in Pittsburgh in the mid-1950s, because that...
As Reagan said, our uncle died very unexpectedly today.
Been trying to think of something fitting to say, but nothing’s coming so far. Suffice to say he was loved dearly and will be missed.
His wife and children could use as many good thoughts as you can spare.
2 tags
Some days are easier than others
Today is one of those hard ones.
“The walls, floor and ceiling of O’s attic apartment were dismantled and...”
– Cobra Baby On Loose
Were there to be a cobra loose in my apartment, I would find PERMANENT alternate accommodations. Possibly in a different time zone.
“His credentials as a practitioner consist of a friendly Midwestern manner and a...”
– Christian Science Church Seeks Truce With Doctors - NYTimes.com
Note to all journalists. You don’t believe in facts. So when someone “doesn’t believe” in germs, the existence of which has been proven over and over again, they are, simply put, wrong.
Banana Museum Curator Must Split - WSJ.com →
Best headline ever or BEST. HEADLINE. EVAR?
2 tags
Nope, totally not freaking out
I mean, why would I? Just because I got a call from the fraud department about strange use on the credit card I NEVER use anymore?
That’d be silly. Right? Right!?
I like it when people post examples of extreme idiocy and douchey behavior on Twitter. It gives me a chance to preemptively block people.
3 tags
I may have overdone it
In my continuing quest to get back to a healthy weight, I started over on the 100 push-up and 200 sit-up challenge. Yesterday was my first day, and the program had me do 45 push-ups.
I feel like I was run over by a truck that was then run over by an even larger truck.
It is my sincerest hope that thinking, thoughtful...
piscesinpurple:
Do you really think Rush Limbaugh thinks Obama is a socialist? Do you actually believe Sarah Palin is serious about death panels? Do entertain for even a moment the notion that Jeanine Pirro is genuinely even considering the impact the health care bill will have on taxes?
No. The answer is no. It’s just a goddamn rhetorical strategy and it works because people who should...
“There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year,” McCain said during...”
– McCain: Don’t expect GOP cooperation the rest of this year - The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room
That’s different from everything so far in what way?
Driver accused of hitting woman with her car in... →
No lie: I learned to drive in the cemetery, as did my mother, because there are fewer people to get hurt there…
“Another thing that concerns me is the commercialization of every aspect of our...”
– How I Became (Mostly) Google-free in About a Day | Zen Habits
File this one under: self-righteous jackasses trying too hard to find problems with the world.
I won’t defend Google, but the idea that advertising is too pervasive is a red herring. If you have a moral issue with a service,...
You know what's great?
When you feel an attack of gout coming on (yes, yes, I’m too young to have gout. But my sore toe and 30+ BMI say differently), and you take the anti-inflammatory prescribed, which makes you dizzy and sleepy and generally stoned, and then you sleep for 13 hours, only to wake up and realize, “Oh, right, this shit makes me dizzy for 24+ hours after I take it,” and then spend your...
Watchthedailywhat:
TV Show Promo of the Day: Spank my shiny metal ass! It’s the first official teaser trailer for the brand spankin’ new season of Futurama, which is set to premiere in June on Comedy Central.
Slurm party at my place!
[comedycentral.]
No one could’ve been happier, unless it was also Valentine’s Day.
What? It was?
Hooray!
