McSame as Bush

Pulled from Think Progress, and as good as the title.

Primary Pundits: Shut the Hell Up

It's almost 5pm here in Southern Ohio. The polls don't even close for two and a half hours here. But I've been listening to who and what and how and what if since 7am this morning. And it's only going to get worse.

Today's Ohio's Primary (along with Texas, Vermont, and Rhode Island).

In general, the right wing radio nuts are all over the place criticizing Obama and Hillary and McCain, with lots of "what's wrong" and not so much on the "here's what we need to do." I've heard their listeners admit to voting Hillary, Obama, Ron Paul, Thompson, and even Zell Miller. Heads in asses, all of them, and what will be the root cause of much poll reading confusion later in the evening.

Us crazy Liberals are split between Obama and Hillary. Advantages, disadvantages, meh. It's probably going to swell in one direction or the other, but which way it will go depends on thousands of undecideds across the state of Ohio making that decision while standing in the booth, based on some mix of psychology of what font the names are printed in matched with memories of their last impression of each candidate.

Point being, everyone has an opinion about how to read what's going to happen tonight. But there are too many variables. And while I secretly salivate at the potentials and permutations in reality that this evening may bring, it's all gibberish. I would get as much insight to the process and results as if I glued myself to the PS2 for the next 3 hours.

Anyway, it's about 5pm right now. Time to watch that ass clown Tim Russert. Cheers!

Ricky's Wisdom Today - 3/3/08

While volunteering my time with Mrs. Shambles this past weekend at Little Shambles cotillion (basically, a bunch of 5th and 6th graders dressed up and dancing simplified versions of classic ballroom dances), I was reminded about this quote which I first read in one of my favorite books of quotes, The Dark Side: Thoughts on the Futility of Life from the Ancient Greeks to the Present

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.

- Eric Hoffer

Amen.

Whorelore: A Warcraft-Inspired Porn Series

Did you just say -? Yes. Yes, I did.



I don't often write about the adult film industry, but when a well-known industry man named Dez starts Whorelore: Swords, Sorcery, and Sex (Whorecraft was *cough* contested), my elfin ears perk up. Who doesn't think elf chicks are hot - I mean, this is high art?

Who am I kidding? This is Dungeons and Dragons porn at it's ...only? Looks like it. The YouTube preview is teasingly scantily clad, but safe for work in that it's void of nipples, dicks, asses, and clits.



There's not much more I can say about it without sounding kind of creepy. I have not actually watched the series and have no plans to do so. But I thought it was interesting enough to post about, you know, as a service to you, the reader.

Interview with the filmmaker at Village Voice via BoingBoing. (Thank you!).

The Most Spoiled Girl in the World

Yes, this is real. I guess my daughter's not even close to spoiled.

Andrew Wilkow: My New Pain in the Ass

(Actually, it's more like my new aneurysm.)

As I've mentioned repeatedly, I listen to the right wing radio folks because, well, it's important to know what they're up to (e.g., Rush Limbaugh is pushing for Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton tomorrow, March 4th [all primaries are some form of "open"], to keep the competition going and force a crippling rift in the Democratic party with no majority at the convention.)

I thought I'd been seasoned by Limbaugh and Hannity, tempered by Savage and Levin, but Mrs. Shambles got me Sirius Radio for my birthday (*kiss*) and with it came something I was not prepared for: Andrew Wilkow.

The first time I listened to The Wilkow Majority on channel 144 (Noon - 3pm), I could only listen intermittently. After two weeks, more often than not I can make it through all 3 hours. I don't know if the show is more audacious because Wilkow's trying to prove he's one of the big boys or because he's on uncensored radio, but when he's done at 3 and Sean Hannity comes on, I am tremendously relieved; it's like I can breathe again.

Why is Andrew Wilkow burnin' my biscuits? Some of the stuff is the same: Global warming is a sham (featuring "Stop Global Whining" by the Right Brothers), and liburlz r devuls, and general ignorance spouting like Hey, Nazism is a left wing thing and we want to take Israel dry so Repubs can't even be racist; Democrats don't care about the Blacks. But that's just a paraphrase.

Today's rantings were especially egregious and prompted the post because of two things. Let's start with the quote while talking about ethanol:

Mexicans can't afford their tortillas anymore. ...guess they'll just have to eat Wonder bread like the rest of us.

Who the fuck talks like that?

The other notable remark was the automobile ignorance that I thought died ten years ago: 'Merican cars are made in America and if you buy foreign cars, th'r takin' r'jobs! This is such bullshit. Specifically, Andrew was talking about how an Obama sticker on a foreign car is an oxymoron because he makes sure all his stuff is American-made, blah-blah, self-aggrandizing autoerotica.

The truth is that it is impossible to find an "American" car in which all the parts of that car are manufactured and assembled in America. And if you're talking just about the actual assembly of the vehicle, let's talk about Toyota for a second, where plants are located in Huntsville, Alabama; Georgetown, Kentucky; Princeton, Indiana; San Antonio, Texas; Buffalo, West Virginia; and a new one being built in Blue Springs, Mississippi. Heck, some of those are actually shipped back over to Japan! So there are clearly plenty of "foreign cars" that are manufactured and assembled right here in the good old USA.

And I'm sure there is more ignorance to follow, more thinly-veiled bigotry to come, and more reasons for me to pop a Motrin or two in the middle of the afternoon.

Chez Pazienza, Fired From CNN for Blogging

Chez Pazienza was an accomplished producer for CNN with many years in the television industry. In 2006, he began blogging under his own name. To his surprise, the CNN "internal affairs" folks dug up his name and HR canned him. This is a couple days old, but if you haven't read his article at the Huffington Post, you need to read it. Now.

Too many times in today's economy, people are simply fired for convenience and the words that come out of HR's mouth could be just about anything, whether they made it up or keep it in a book they keep in a vault. Having worked in the television industry alongside producers like Chez, having a father from the same background, I can honestly say I feel for him; it's a barbaric business, as savage as the African savannas, and as devious as Dick Cheney and Carl Rove.

CNN fired me, and did it without even a thought to the power that I might wield as an average person with a brain, a computer, and an audience. The mainstream media doesn't believe that new media can embarrass them, hurt them or generally hold them accountable in any way, and they've never been more wrong.

I wish him luck.

March 19th Iraq War Blogswarm

It kind of speaks for itself. On March 19th, it's been 5 years since we illegally invaded Iraq. Over a million bodies have piled up because of this single action. Tune in on March 19th here at Cause for Concern and visit the official March 19th Iraq War Blogswarm Blog to see the other posts on this historic, sad day. Reminder is in the column on the left. We've also got everyone at All Things Democrat on board and will be posting there about it too. This is going to be big. Check the Blogswarm Blog link above to see the other folks involved.

As of this posting, over 150 blogs are part of this wondrousness, and 3,973 American troops have died because of our part in Iraq.

Death and Taxes ...and, mmm Beer

I started this post as a basic Tavern Tax thing, but realized quickly that I've got a couple more updates to make thanks to my "Read it Later" thing.

Tavern Tax

What goes better together than taxes and alcohol? Nothing, really; Mrs. Shambles and I kill two bottles every year prepping our taxes.

And now you can go to the pub. And get your taxes done. No, I'm not joking.

TavernTax.com is currently arranging events at local taverns, but so far it looks pretty local to NJ, oddly enough.

Spray the Riders

I saw this on Reuters the other day:

Indonesian commuters riding on the roofs of trains will be sprayed with colored liquid so that security officers can identify and arrest them, a report said Saturday.

Good job, Indonesia! Your inadequate public transportation has caused a problem and instead of trying to remedy the problem by expanding said public transportation system, you're going to visibly criminalize people who are risking their very lives to get to work every day.

I hope your economy poops on you.

Imagining the 10th Dimension

Rob Bryanton is friggin' hot, and I don't mean in the sexy way that makes me look at men with a wink and a nod.

Imagining the 10th Dimension is a book written by said hot author, but also a completely accessible site that will walk you through the mental exercises you may need to see what String Theory is talking about with multiple dimensions.

This is violently mind-expanding and probably needs several hits; honestly, after being through it twice (and after reading A Brief History of Time and The Universe in a Nutshell), I'm still struggling. Brilliant. Must-read.

In Brief: Jim Ogonowski

Jim Ogonowski is running for congress on the Repub ticket, running to "retire John Kerry," running to end wasteful spending, blah blah [insert typical Republican bullshit here].



Quick note to Jim:

Hey. You. Yes, you. Fat Shatner. I hope you lose.

The Whitest Kids U Know: Totally Gay for America

I don't know if you've seen The Whitest Kids U Know on IFC, but it's the funniest sketch comedy I've seen since The Kids in the Hall. This is called "The America Song."

Name 'n' Date: Jimmy 1972

Yay! Something New!

It's not complicated, but it is fun. Here's the setup: I go to Google Image Search, enter a first name and a date and pick the image I like the best. Boosh! The image only has to be the end result of the search, too; it may be an image on a page that came from the GIS. Let's get it on.

Jimmy 1972



What do I like about this image? The boy who is a total douche, obviously primped by Mom; the girl who looks not only confident, but mildly evil; the baby who is almost an afterthought in the picture. In this case, the baby's name was Jim.

And what fun would it be if there was no macro?



And what fun would it be if there was no Photoshop?



Yes, she's still evil.

Pope: Everyone Has an Inborn Need for God

From the Vatican Information Service:

Turning then to consider the Gospel account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar, Benedict XVI highlighted how at a certain point the woman asked Jesus for water, "thus showing how everyone has an inborn need of God and of the salvation that only He can achieve".

Yes, and Billy Budd was a Christ-like character. This is what we refer to as literary analysis and symbolic representation and is the trunk of the tree of the Catholic bureaucracy.

Does every person have an inborn need for God? I don't think so. I do believe that deeply embedded in our psyches is a natural inclination to ask "Why?" and to look for answers to the big questions in the world and/or the universe. For some people, stopping asking that question is something they're comfortable with when they find God. Others keep asking.

But in the same article, something a little more creepy to fit with Benedict's personage:

"In how many circumstances, rather than meekly conforming ourselves to divine will, would we like God to accomplish all our designs and fulfil [sic] all our expectations. In how many occasions does our faith appear fragile, our trust weak, our religiosity contaminated by magical elements of merely earthly origin?"

Ah, yes. Blessed are the Ori.

i.e., "Fit in my fucking power structure mold or I will eat your soul!"

Jesus wept.

I'm the White Rabbit

Star Trek and Jefferson Airplane. One of my favorite shows and my favorite song of all time? Can mash-ups get better?

Remembering Buony: the Bush Blair Experience

Oldie but a goodie. Remember the good times.

Is Ricky Shambles In You?

I came across this Slogan Generator in a post from one of my friends on the left (blogroll, left side of the page, see what I did there?), although (I'm sorry), I can't find it for the life of me. So here we go. Any favorites?

Don't Forget The Ricky Shambles, Mum.

Leave the Ricky Shambles to Us.

How Do You Eat Your Ricky Shambles?

Make Ricky Shambles Yours.

Ricky Shambles - It Looks Good on You.

Is Ricky Shambles In You?

And from there, it predictably degrades into finding the dirtiest ones you can. I kept it as clean as I could. click the link back at the top of this post and create you own!

Obama's Gone Emo

You may recall John McCain, when no one believed for a second he'd garner the nomination, got a Ricky Shambles Photoshop Makeover.

Barack Obama, should he go totally emo:



I'd vote for him in a second.

Check out Goth Hillary and Frankenfurter McCain at All Things Democrat.

Frozen Grand Central Station

The wonderful folks at Improv Everywhere pulled this at Grand Central Station:



Check out their site to keep up to date on all their scenes.

p.s. - sorry about today's brevity; I'm running a little under the weather.

Is It Bigger Than a Baby's Arm?

I'm quite comfortable with the size of my man meat (you know, my cock, trouser trout, schlong, wang, lizard, dragon, one-eyed monster, power broker, down-south poker), but bring up the size of my blogroll, and my face goes redder than a nun's engorged clit as she catches a glimpse of Peter Sarsgaard's ass in Kinsey.

The blushing began at a single glance over at Freida Bee's place, where she explains (of which I was already aware, being the internets SEO foo I am) that the blogroll isn't rated by the search engines much, if at all. If you want it to count, the link needs to be in the text. Technorati loves that too, like fat kids love cake.

Then I saw it at PoliTits and before I knew it, everyone's was bigger than mine.

As Jar Jar Binks would say, I'sa bina lazee fucka. So let's make some amends and fatten that bastard up.

Oh, shit. Freida Bee's not even on my blogroll. What kind of person am I? Not all the 35 Percenters are, I guess - hell, even the 35 Percenters blog isn't. That will now add Blue Man in a Red District, Dandelion Salad, The Greenbelt, The Hermit with Davis Fleetwood, Hip-Hop Is Read, The Largest Minority, Modern Musings, Monkey Muck, Peace Elf, Peace Garden, Phydeaux Speaks, The Quaker Agitator, and Today's Talk (yes, I'm alphabetizing like I would book titles, and "The" does not put it under T).

And hunting through another few bounces and blogrolls is Angry Ballerina because it's fucking raw and brilliant, Lily's Karmic Reverberations because she's my new blogging buddy at All Things Democrat, Morning Martini because, hey, morning martinis, flowers, and kitties, Feministing because I think chicks should be all equal and shit, and Rob Bast's 2012 Blog because, deep down, I'm a little batshit crazy. Ooh, and I can't forget Skepchick because - damn! - women and science and ...I think I just got all melty.

So before I dump my load and spit out the final feed (yes, new folks get double dips), a quick suggestion to other folks with other blogs:

When adding links to your blogs or blogrolls, after making your link look like this:
<a href="http://www.website.com">Website Name</a>

now make it look like this

<a href="http://www.website.com" target="_blank" title="Website Name">Website Name</a>

The "target" bit opens a new window or tab and keeps the reader on your blog too. The Website name, well that makes search engines tinkle just a little in their pants from glee. Not only that, you can see that "title text" by simply mousing over a link. *pop* and there it is. Yay! (Oh, I wasn't actually quoting anyone there, just sets it apart s'y'cun se'er bitter.)

Oh, yeah, I promised a load:

• 2012 Blog
• 35 Percenters blog
• All Things Democrat
• Angry Ballerina
• Bad Astronomy
• Bad Business
• Balls and Walnuts
• Blue Gal
• Blue Man in a Red District
• Club Lefty
• Crooked House
• Crooks and Liars
• Cut to the Chase
• Dandelion Salad
• Feministing
• Freida Bee
• The Greenbelt
• The Hermit with Davis Fleetwood
• Hip-Hop Is Read
• Karmic Reverberations
• The Largest Minority
• Modern Musings
• Monkey Muck
• Morning Martini
• North State Blogs
• Peace Elf
• Peace Garden
• Phydeaux Speaks
• PoliTits
• Princess Sparkle Pony's Picture Blog
• The Quaker Agitator
• Rox Populi
• Think Progress
• Today's Talk
• xkcd

See? It's not necessarily all that much bigger than anyone else's, but - damn! - it's got girth.

Sidenote: I'm going to be soon doing some redesign to get rid of the standard Blogger template and look all personalized and professional and shit, so coming soon the above folks will look even more impressive in Linktastica!

Sidenote 2: If you have a blog and want to join Cause for Concern's Linktastica! (or, of course, if I'm a douche and you should already be there), just send me an email - I think I even have my IM in there; what the hell am I thinking? - through my profile.

And that is all.

I am Eraserhead

Which David Lynch Movie am I?


you are: eraserhead
Take this quiz!


I knew it.

Thanks Blue Gal, and congrats on you 1400th post!

Ricky's Wisdom for Today - 2/19/08

The Dalai Lama consistently impresses me with the plain-spoken wisdom that can be found coming from his mind. Simple. Beautiful. And true.

Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe: Naked

That's right. I said "naked." And Lindsay Lohan. And Marilyn Monroe. Of course I'd be flattered if you touched yourself while reading this blog.


Photograph by Bert Stern

Back in 1963, Marilyn Monroe sat for a photo shoot in which she appeared naked. It has since been referred to as "The Last Sitting" because six weeks later, she was found dead.

Now Lindsay Lohan, a fan of Marilyn, has sat for a "remix" if you will of those photos for New York Magazine (link NSFW because of, well, boobies).

And now the faux concern floodgates open: I can't listen to entertainment news without hearing "Oh Em Gee! Marilyn got naked photos and died six weeks later and now Lindsay took the photos and she's on a downward starlet spiral. Achtung! Peligro! The fucking world's coming to an end!"

Let's make one thing clear: Lindsay Lohan is not Marilyn Monroe; Lindsay Lohan is a mid-grade celebrity and a low-grade social alcoholic. Besides, everyone knows Marilyn was whacked because her ties to JFK and I don't believe Lindsay has fucked the president.

I can't stand "entertainment news." But photography, well...


Note: Photobucket, while hosting this image for dozens of others, has deleted mine twice now. Bastards. At least I can upload through Blogger.

If You're Not a Vegetarian Yet...

Thank God for the Humane Society, but this video is disturbing.



What's more disturbing? Our society. Bo Reagan, vice president of research for the Colorado-based National Cattleman’s Beef Association, said "The welfare of our animals – that’s the heart and soul of our operations."

But...don't you kill them? En masse? To make the yummy, innocuous Big Macs we glut ourselves on?

I would hate to see him care for the welfare of his own children.

It's videos like this that push me into meat avoidance for a few weeks, but my complacency as an American consumer that allows me to float back into the meat-eating world.

I know.

NPR Ombudsman Blows Off Concern

On February 11th, NPR and Talk of the Nation's Neal Conan held a roundtable discussion about coverage of the presidential campaigns. About 20 minutes in, Alicia Shepard, NPR Ombudsman, had this notable interchange with a disgruntled caller:

WARNER: I'm calling because there's been no coverage, generally, but also on NPR about the current presidential race in the Green Party of the United States. We had four primaries last Tuesday in Massachusetts, Arkansas, Illinois, and California, and it seems to me that basic journalism includes covering the facts, and if you're not covering all the facts, you're not doing your job. And I've also not heard anything about large-scale voting interference with Green Party members voting in Illinois, which occured last Tuesday, and I want to know if NPR is going to cover the District of Columbia primary that's going to be happening tomorrow, including the Green Party Primary.

SHEPARD: I don't think I can answer that, but let's hope that the political editor, Ron Elving, is listening, and I'm sure that NPR will be covering the Democratic primary in the District.

CONAN: Republican primary too.

WARNER: Well, that's the point. There's also another party's primary - the Green Party primary - the Libertarian party, which is another smaller, national party, also is not getting any coverage, and they have a full slate of presidential candidates also. I know because I saw their ballot with mine for the California primary.

CONAN: Warner, thanks very much for the call. Let's see if we can go now....

What the fuck just happened?

The Ombudsman is supposed to stand for oversight and extended explanations over policy. A policy question about news being completely ignored was directly asked of Alicia Shepard. And she completely ignored his concern and said the Dems and Repubs would be covered for sure - which is exactly his point!

And when he elucidated and brought up more ignored small party news, Neal Conan cut him off and went to another caller.

Proper coverage of anyone not on Media Sweetheart list, anyone not suckling at the teat of Media Mania, is being completely ignored. And it is not simple "Shhhh," brush it under the carpet, but a blatant, public, debilitating mushroom stamp from the Judgment Cock of Big Media. And today, Alicia Shepard wields that club.

Listen at the above link. Contact Alicia Shepard at the Ombudsman's Page. Let her know what you feel after you hear Warner get knocked down by the person who's supposed to at least listen to the little guy.

Michael Savage: When Hate Crosses the Line

(I know, when is MS not crossing a line.)

I've hit up Michael Savage a couple times in the last month, specifically for the well-documented rage against Muslims and more recently a rant against Heath Ledger. I have also received appropriate feedback pertaining to my posts - to a certain extent.

When Michael Savage spit his acid at Muslims and, specifically, CAIR, that's all happy hating opinion, and fine in America, even if contemptuously hideous. The same goes for his frequent rants about how homosexuals are ruining America and San Francisco in particular: it's ugly speech, but protected speech; turn it off or blog about it or yell at your neighbors about it if you don't like it.

However, when he says that Heath Ledger intentionally killed himself "with needles" because he couldn't handle how his portrayal of homosexuality ruined the image of "great America itself," that is slander. Slander is "a false and defamatory oral statement about a person," and the statement about Heath Ledger fits right in there. And that is not protected speech.

So this past Tuesday, Savage was harfing our more verbal filth, this time against the educational establishment, and said "most sociologists are child molesters." So where does that fit on the protected speech-o-meter? He's not really talking about specific person, but he's clearly attributing a social deviancy to a specific group of people delineated by vocation. What are your thoughts?

And since it's Valentine's Day, I thought this appropriate:



So how's that fit in to our discussion?

St. Peter in Chains - One Hour Delay

I was monitoring the school delay listings today and spotted one rather curious entry: St. Peter in Chains School. Obviously, my mind immediately flitted to BDSM pornography, then to the Jesus and Mary Chain, then Tori Amos singing "Crucify" (cha-i-a-i-a-i-a-i-ains, who-oah) before I finally realized I had no actual reference for why this obviously Catholic School (Catholics are retarded for saints) had taken such a curious name.

Well, Simon Peter, a.k.a. St. Peter (denied Christ, first pope, yada yada) was imprisoned by Herod Agrippa who was going to kill him. But before he could be killed, an angel - yes, an otherworldly entity - woke him, allowed his binding chains to fall, and let him walk straight out of prison. And - surprise, surprise - it even has its own Feastday.

FYI: "San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is a basilica in Rome, best known for housing Michelangelo's statue Moses." And he looks a lot like Zeus. Christians had to get their limited-use God-face from somewhere, silly.

So back to Yay! St. Peter was saved! Of course, not long after that, he was again captured. Legend has it he did not believe he was worthy of dying in the same manner as Jesus and was crucified upside down in Rome. Which, of course, leads to the line of questioning: if the founder of the Christian Church was crucified upside down, why is that a symbol of evil? Why not use an upside down cross as the prime religious symbol (you know, maybe without the corpse nailed to it)?

Why? When your religion has enough bureaucracy to fill its own country, you do not get to ask why; your beliefs have been modified and fortified and formulated and heated and put in a nice, neat bottle for you. All you need to do is suck.

Japanese Ronald McDonald Mashup

What the fuck?

Playing Catch-up With Firefox, Hillary, Obama, ACLU Real Live Porn, and Movies

As I mentioned earlier this week, I downloaded a Firefox extension called "Read it Later" and it's a double-edged sword. On one hand, I'm able to keep track of interesting bits I'd like to blog about, but on the other hand, I quickly garner 20+ links I want to blog about. And you can't delete the bookmarks from the Read it Later interface, but have to go into Bookmarks to do it. S'okay, it's in Beta, and is more good than bad.

This post is about catching up.

Anti-Hillary Film and SCOTUS

I flagged this one at the first mention from the AP about the film Hillary: The Movie (those Repubs are so clever in their titling):

The early reviews are in, and three federal judges appeared in agreement Thursday that a movie lambasting Hillary Rodham Clinton seemed an awful lot like a 90-minute campaign advertisement.

This is problematic from the perspective of, ironically, a campaign finance law partially named after the man they're now left to elect: McCain-Feingold. The federal judges shut David Bossie down and he's now going to SCOTUS to appeal. The sticking point is still that campaign finance law, like a drunken juggalo blocking the keg:

But one provision of McCain-Feingold makes it illegal to use corporate or union money for "any broadcast, cable or satellite communication" if it "refers to a clearly identified candidate for federal office" within 30 days of a primary election or a convention or within 60 days of a general election.

If they feel like listening, this will be a huge ruling, and define legal pre-election free-for-all as financing a DVD slamming your opponent. Damned juggalos.

FDA Says Cloned Meat OK

FDA says it's okay? Honestly, I understand the science, but I'll be fucked if I think there's still not something hinky about pulling some DNA from a hot London Broil and making another cow.

Problem? You betcha. FDA said it's okay. Expect unlabeled samples in your Kroger/Giant Eagle/Piggly Wiggly soon.

Advice? Shop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. At least for your meat.

ACLU: Larry Craig is Right!

The ACLU stood up for failed human being Larry Craig, stating that a bathroom stall is a private place and there is an expectation of privacy in such a place, even if you're soaping the balls of a stranger through a glory hole.

ACLU: I love you, but no. This is just way the fuck off base. If Seabass accidentally meets me at 3am in the wrong stall and decides to violate me, is that, too, a private place?

"Find a happy place, find a happy place."

Killing an ... Obama?

After Senator Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama and insinuated that he was the next JFK, Harry Smith, on the CBS Early Show pushed the button five steps beyond what everyone was thinking: So, um, do you think Obama will be assassinated just like your brother? Okay, he put it more mildly:



Let Your Movies Define You

And if you didn't have enough social networking sites yet, check out Cinescopes. They'll take your Top Ten movies of all time and translate them into insights about yourself, match you to friends, and all those other good things they can do on this newfangled Internets 2.0.

Take your time, but you can always change it up later. I'm still sticking with my original 10, in alphabetical order, but will probably need some revisions in the future:

12 Monkeys
28 Days Later
Playing By Heart
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Pi
Mirrormask
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Lost in Translation
Shaun of the Dead
True Romance

cough! nerd! cough!



And that's about it for the update. Now I can delete all those bookmarks. Cheers!

Your Part of Iraq: $275/mo

No questions asked, the cost keeps going up. And up. And up. And how does that relate to the current frontrunners in line for the 2008 Presidental Election? Did you not hear the phrase shot round the world: "100 years"?

Brave New Films hits it hard:




Do something.

Navy Invents New Way of Killing People

Holy shit.

Electromagnetic railguns mounted on U.S. naval vessels will use electricity to launch projectiles farther and faster than any ship in today's fleet. When fully operational, the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) will:

• Deliver hypervelocity projectiles at Mach 5 on impact in support of Marines and ground forces.
• Strike within 5 meters of a pinpointed target from distances in excess of 200 nautical miles.
• Maximize damage through kinetic energy from longer range while minimizing risks to crews and ships.

Tested on 1/31/08: Fired at 2,520 meters per second, the shot generated 10.64mj of muzzle energy.

From Navy, DVICE.

Popehat Growls at Science: Grrr...

We've got a lot of catching up to do. I use FireFox because Internet Explorer is the devil, and about two weeks ago I got a new plugin that is a quick click to a "read it later" bookmark folder. I'll delve into it more tomorrow, but for now, feel free to chew on the Popehat's bile from the Vatican's 1/28 press release:

"Human beings have the specific ability of discerning what is good", the Pope concluded. "In our own time, when the progress of the sciences attracts and seduces for the possibilities it offers, it is more necessary than ever to educate the consciences of our contemporaries to ensure that science does not become the criterion of good, that man is still respected as the centre of creation, and that he does not become the object of ideological manipulation, arbitrary decisions, or abuses."

What the Popehat is trying to say, of course, is that as long as science doesn't get too science-y, and as long as people who have dedicated their lives to studying the measurable and empirical take into consideration the invisible and intangible - ooh, and make sure you prove life starts at conception - then science is a good thing.

You know you've heard this type of thing before: if the high courts of America overturn liberal laws, they are interpreting the Constitution; if they overturn conservative laws, they're out-of-control activist judges, legislating from the bench.

Al-Qaeda, Evangelicals Teaching Hate

The Sun proclaims

Al-Qaeda teach kids, 6, to kill



in a related story,

Evangelicals teach kids, 6, to hate

Bin Laden Apologizes for 9/11

What would happen if Osama bin Laden was not officially blamed by the FBI for 9/11 and yet his son was apologizing and desirous of brokering peace? Welcome to reality. Davis Fleetwood, wonderful as always:

Montel Williams Puts It to FOX On FOX

Montel Williams was brought on FOX as a consultant to jabber about Health Ledger, but that's not what was on his mind. Something was bothering him, like jabbering about Heath Ledger when a couple hundred people died in America yesterday naturally, and that 28 troops have died in Iraq since January 1 (it's actually 41) - with no mention from FOX:



Since March 2003, 3,945 American troops have died in Iraq (4,252 throughout Coalition). 5 troops died from wounds sustained while in Iraq but go unacknowledged by the DoD in the count.

I just hope that when we hit 4,000 someone who gets some television face time takes a deep breath and has the balls to remind us that George Bush has officially killed more Americans than 9/11 in a war that had nothing to do with 9/11, even if it's still being occasionally touted as such.

A Smurfy Update from Croatia

Last week, I got smurfy with the Croatian people. Leave it to them not only to bounce back, but comment on my blog:

we beat record today with 533 smurfs!

(Croatian News Link)

Based on the "we" and the link to the news station not in English, someone directly related to the effort wanted to set me straight. Nice.

How about another picture for posterity:



Congratulations to Croatia and, specifically, this group of persevering Smurfs. Good show.

Ricky's Wisdom for Today - 2/2/08

This is not for every day, but can be applied to many. Today is one of those days.

L'enfer, c'est les autres.
(Hell is other people.)

-- Jean-Paul Sartre, Huis-clos (No Exit)

Crippling the Middle East Through Technology

I know there are many people out there that have the absurd conviction that everyone in the Middle East lives in dusty ruins without electricity, but that is simply not the case; major centers of industry and technology exist in Egypt, Dubai, Iran, etc. A little further east and you probably have personal experience to back up India's call center megapoli.

Now what would happen if two undersea cables near Egypt were suddenly cut? Perhaps by a "wayward anchor?" Well, that's odd, you might say. Or should say since it happened Wednesday.

And then on Friday, a third cable was "damaged" between United Arab Emirates and Oman. Oops! What're the odds?

Now, what would you say if said "accidents" not only damaged access to the internet for all the countries listed above, but resulted in Iran having NO access?

I'd probably call that Holy Shit What's Going Down?

There are thinly-veiled "OMG 4th Cable!" stories floating on the bullshit foam of the internet ether, all of them unfounded. For now. I've also seen some reports, none verifiable, that Iran's access is being remedied, but is being done through American and British servers.

Something hinky is going on here.

Michael Savage: Old Man Hates teh Gay

During the tragic death of Heath Ledger, most of you have heard of John Gibson, lead reptilian humanoid of FOX News using Ledger's death as a way to make a stupid, sad joke about him as a "weirdo" "with a drug problem." Why? Because John Gibson is a bigot and hates gays and Heath Ledger once made a movie that made a lot of money about a man struggling with his sexuality in an oppressive society.

But John Gibson is an assbag; he got plenty of negative press for the comments, made that ever-traditional "I'm sorry if people were offended" non-apology, and I still think he's an assbag and assbags all over the country still think he's a credible journalist. Status quo.

But what we haven't heard of, what I can't seem to find any reference about, is Michael Savage's treatment of the same subject. We've already visited how Dr. Savage pounced on Muslims, but unless you regularly listen to his verbal and often-unfocused hate ooze through your speakers, you may not know that he's a dirty old codger, living in San Francisco, and daily railing against the filth and amorality of homosexuals destroying the city.

Last Tuesday, January 22nd, as speculation over Heath Ledger's death was haphazardly spilling over the airwaves, Michael Savage had some choice words:

This is the biggest story of the day: Shock in SoHo? Actor Heath Ledger, pills, suicide? You mean another Hollywood junkie is dead? I'm sorry, you mean that's news? News used to be "Man Bites Dog," but when another Hollywood idiot is found with a needle in his arm, is that news? I mean, you expect it, when they don't put a needle in their arm, that would be news.
...
So, what, he played in Brokenback Mountain, Bareback Mountain, whatever he was in, I forget what movie he was in. I never watched it - I'm not interested in softcore pornography, to be honest with you.
...
When I first heard Gene Autry, even though I was stuck inside the knish, I knew that there was a place outside the knish, where there was beautiful skies and bison and men who rode horses, as opposed to ersatz men who rode horses who played homosexuals who rolled in the hay together who then eventually stuck needles in their arm because they know that they had destroyed one of the true images of America in order to make a buck and they couldn't take the fact that they had sold down the river the image of the great America itself.

And that's just the Heath Ledger bit. The spew of homosexual hate and "agenda" conspiracy theories can be found elsewhere. But if John Gibson caught hell, where's the outrage about Savage?


"He's just a mean old man without a mommy!"

Did I mention his penchant for inappropriate characterizations?


Yes, this is a screenshot from his site.

Outrage would be good right about now.

Croatian Smurfs get Smurfed

What's more fun than spending your afternoon in Croatia trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records record for the largest gathering of Smurfs?



Smurfing at them from America because someone didn't do their research.

When they contacted World Guiness Book of Records to register their feat they were told they were too late.

Even though they had managed to gather 395 Smurf-a-likes in one place, this Croatian attempt to smash the record turned out to be a waste of time.

Shoddy research meant they believed they only had to get 291 'Smurfs' in one place to clinch the prized record.

However they managed to overlook one vitally important fact.

A new record had actually been set by students at Warwick University last year where they had managed to round up a grand total of 451 Smurfs.

How could this have happened? They did their research "on the internet." Ooh, beware ye research on the internet, fair Croats. Lest you spend your afternoon with a blue face for absolutely no reason at all.

I wonder if they served blue beer.

Obama and the Decriminalization of Marijuana

From the Washington Post:

But as a candidate for the U.S. Senate four years ago, Mr. Obama told Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession, according to a videotape of a little noticed debate that was obtained by The Washington Times.

"I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws," Mr. Obama told an audience during a debate at Northwestern University in 2004. "But I'm not somebody who believes in legalization of marijuana." (Play video below.)


Asked about the two different answers, Mr. Obama's presidential campaign said he in fact has "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana as he answered in 2004, meaning the candidate mistakenly raised his hand during the presidential debate last fall.

I don't smoke any more, but Obama and Clinton are so similar in so many different ways, this distinction - if verified by Obama - is an important one that highlights his dedication to progressive ideals.

I don't vote until March 4th, but every piece of information matters, and I'm looking eagerly towards the Democratic Debate this evening.

Notes on the State of the Union Address

A day late, but this is primarily pure outrage; if someone paid me a great deal of money (and by that, I mean like $1000) back in January of 2007 to concoct the most outrageous, ignorant speech - going with naive, not snarky - containing a bizarro-world amalgamation of exactly how not to run America, how not to take Americans' best interests into account, with the very distinct focus of simply pissing myself off, I could not have come up with the disastrous anger-fest that was George Bush's final State of the Union Address. I'm glad I put my daughter to bed before this yearly session of Congressional Calisthenics began because I have not shouted such foul language at the television with such frequency and vigor in a very long time.

Short short version: President Bush either has not a single damned clue as to what is happening in America and the world at large or is purposefully deluding himself and the 15% of Americans who actually believe anything that comes out of his mouth.

And now, more snark, now with more bullets!

• President Bush apparently did not get the memo about his tie: during an election year, blue = democrats.


• Nancy Pelosi showed up in a lovely washed-out mauve, was seen soon after either making fun of stroke patients or chewing the inside of her lips, and later was seen completely enveloped in what I'm guessing was a copy of the speech or a seating chart, but was entertained as a copy of the Constitution, the Official SotU Program, or the drink menu for the afterparty.


• The IRS "accepts both checks and money orders," i.e., fuck you, America, wish in one hand, shit in the other and all that, heh, heh, heh.


• Americans should have to balance a budget, the government should too. Is that before or after the creative accounting that doesn't really count the asshorde of money being shipped - sometimes in cash - over to Iraq on a daily basis?


• We need to "trust Americans" with home ownership. Actually, G, it's the trusting of Americans with ownership and letting banks run rampant over them that caused the current crisis. Tried it and it didn't work, but he wants to dump money into Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac to exacerbate the issue just after he raised the rate for Sallie Mae loans for college that might actually result in personal betterment. But then the populace wouldn't be under the thumb of stress that they need to be in order to be properly complacent.


• "Epidemic of junk medical lawsuits." It's not an epidemic, but a perfect example of the language of people being puppeteered by Big Insurance. They've got him too! Damn you special interests!


• No Child Left Behind: "trust children to learn" and "no one can deny the results." In a way, he's right: NCLB is an unmitigated disaster, hands down; it has resulted in dumber kids who know only how to fill in bubbles - not to think - and will have less success in college because of it. You couldn't build a more dependent underclass with the faux air of betterment if you planned it that way. But maybe only Cheney knows those ropes.


• "Pell grants for kids." Stop trying to put more money in the hands of religious organizations and let's work on making K - 12 institutions of thinking and college affordable.


• "Reducing our dependence on oil." Since when? The last time he said that, it was "clarified" by complete revocation after the Saudis shouted "shenanigans." Then again, he probably primed them on his recent trip: "Hey, so I'm gonna say that oil independence bullshit again, but you gotta be all hush-hush about it, k? Not so damn loud; we've got an understanding. Hey, look at that goat humpin' that other goat, heh heh."


• "Reverse the growth of greenhouse gasses" and "combating global climate change." Unfortunately, the only thing Bush has done in the last 7 years is reverse the growth of science and combating any reports that said global warming was a reality.


• "Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq and this enemy will be defeated." Is this a rerun? I thought this was live.


• Don't dare bring up Israel and Palestine now. You haven't given a shit in the last 7 years and this feigning sympathy is making you look like an asshat.


• "America opposes genocide in Sudan." We're just not going to do a damn thing to stop it. Ever.


• Bush dictionary: "Zimbowey" - some place in Africa where black people dance in the dirt.

This was sickening to watch and angering to listen to. The best pundit response, admittedly, came from Chris Matthews in post, who said it was like that last minute New Year's resolutions you never got around to, like "I'm gonna learn French this year."

No initiative he spoke of means anything, nor does the appearance of suddenly caring - after seven years - fool anyone into a false sense of "hey, yeah, I think he's got his shit together. I think we'll be okay until next year." We are in free fall and only the man behind the podium thinks he's sitting on the beach.

Giuliani Pulls Out, Impregnates McCain

Happy Birthday to me, and over 2 weeks early! That's right, Rudy Giuliani, the wooden-toothed professional crooner of 9/11 and all-round smug failure is prepared to pull out of the presidential race this very morning before the last Republican debate before Super Bowl Sunday and Super Tuesday. I think that somehow makes today the Ascension of Mary and places Mardi Gras firmly on the biggest primary day of the year, guaranteeing a slight booze shift to the polls and complete confusion amongst the pundits. Again. But I digress.

What could possibly make this better? Irony, of course! Rudy Giuliani will be making this announcement from the Reagan Library (where the debate will later take place), the living symbol of the dry-hump chew toy darling of the Republican Party, in order to endorse Grandpappy McCain, the only Republican running for president who - according to pundits and the talk radio faction and many Repubs - is not a Reagan Republican. Ooh, snap!

But why McCain? I can't wait for Rudy's blah-blah explanation but would like to take a pass on hearing Chris Matthews spout "Maverick" yet again. John McCain is not Tom Cruise or James Garner or Mel Gibson; it's John McCain, not John McClane, Chrissy. Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!

McCain's playing the game, and he's playing it well, despite his detractors on flip-flopping, inconsistency, and age. He's got Giuliani's support now and there are hints that he's going to help fluff Huckabee through Super Tuesday to keep the votes away from Romney and cinch up the nomination like his momma's corset. Can we smell a McCain Huckabee ticket? Someone light some incense; I think I'm gonna be sick.

Human Rights Campaign: Resolve

It took them quite a long time to get back to me with the embed code, but this video on human rights in America is still very relevant. From the Human Rights Campaign:

Ricky's Wisdom Today

Well, it's not particularly my wisdom per se, but wisdom that resonates with me on some level. Since the world is constantly changing and reality is always a subjective experience, it's just the wisdom "today," though feel free to hold on until something better comes along. And since it's the first installment, you get some bonus Wisdom action, because how can I introduce something new without the very roots and favorites of that something?

Now that's wise.

Today I ran into this quote and it just felt right: focused, yet sad.

Going along in company together, a wise man
Must mix with other foolish persons.
But on seeing what is wrongful he abandons them.
As a full-fledged heron leaves the marshy ground.

-Udana 8.7

Bonus? Of course. These are perhaps my most cherished quotes when it comes to my personal ideas about wisdom:

One who speaks does not know
One who knows does not speak

-- Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching - Verse 56

I know I am God because when I pray to Him I find I am speaking to Myself.

--Peter Barnes

Put dat in your book.

Gang Bang Jesus

"I did it like this. I did it like that. I did it with a wiffle ball bat."

I was doing a search this afternoon on de money gang bang for a single reference in a little post over at ATD.

On the first page of image results, I saw this:



So my question to you is: Is Jesus helping a kid play baseball more absurd than finding the image while searching for de money gang bang, or do they combine in a sociological, post-modern mental clusterfuck that cannot truly be comprehended by our human brains without an advanced degree in philosophy and a bottle of Jameson?

Kucinich Withdraws from Presidential Race

Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

(Okay, a little overly dramatic.)

In order to focus on his Congressional re-election in November and due to very little in the way of voter support, Dennis Kucinich has pulled his name from the hat that is the Democratic Race for President. The only candidate who staunchly and always opposed the war and funding for the war - strength through peace, the only candidate who understood the evils of insurance company rule and pushed for the only not-for-profit healthcare plan, is gone from the national stage.

I'd tell you what he said in his speech, but he barely touched upon Iraq on Headline News - about 20 seconds into speaking - when they cut away. No other news station was carrying the speech or announcement.

I'd like to give you a link, but none of the news stations are reporting it, even though CNN had it's "World's End" red banner up half an hour before Fred Thompson dropped out.

No more media outlets have to vigorously work with lawyers to silence dissenting opinion, but even as he pulls out, the media have to be dicks about it.

I hope one of the three still running learned something from him, but their silence on his exclusion raises no hopes of that. And now I have to pick one of them before Ohio. This is going to take a lot of wine.

When Google's Parents Leave Home

Here's a bit from Cracked about the internets! Yay!

Military Misses Recruiting Goals Again in 2007

From NationalPriorities.com:

For the third consecutive year, the Army missed DoD benchmarks set for educational attainment and scores on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. The DoD has a goal that 90 percent of new recruits have a regular high school diploma or better.

...The proportion of active-duty Army recruits in tier 1 has dropped from 83.5 percent in 2005 to 70.7 percent in 2007. While the benchmark of 90 percent was also missed in 2005, the percentages have not been this low for at least 20 years. In 2006, the result was 73.1 percent.

Nevada with 54.1 percent, Montana with 58.2 percent, and Mississippi with 59.2 percent had the lowest percentages of recruits that were tier 1.

Considering that a high school education is the single greatest predictor of whether the investment we put in these young men and women will stick, perhaps we should take a good, hard look at the reasons people don't want to go: they're entering an endless war without the right equipment where Bushie can write "As long as I want" on their contract, regardless of what they signed. If they get physically hurt, they'll get poor care, and if they're psychologically affected by killing and seeing friends and enemies die, you'll be ignored.

Hey, maybe if we stopped feeding the military industrial complex our young men like logs into a wood chipper, fighting a war we can't win for the benefit of corporations, then maybe we wouldn't have this problem. Maybe we could focus on getting the young man or woman a GED instead of worrying that they don't have one before giving them a weapon and tossing them in the shit. Just a thought.

Notes on the Democratic South Carolina Debate, Jerry Springer and All

Honestly, at the beginning of the debate when Wolf declared that they were going to "get a real conversation going," I laughed out loud. If I only knew.

As we get down to brass tacks and Kucinich is left in the silent dust of the media deciding who we need to hear from, this review of the debate is a little more critical, especially when it comes to sunshine and roses promises and ideas.

Here's your bullets:

• Hillary's repeated call for a "moratorium" on foreclosures for 90 days: I'm calling BS. She's not going to get anything done any time soon, so it's a short-lived call for false hope for the very few people that would benefit from it; you can give a horse 90 days but that doesn't mean that they'll work things out to keep their house. Part of this foreclosure issue is that some people are not responsible enough to simply pick up the phone and try to work it out with the bank. Feeding someone 90 days will not stimulate responsibility. Some people simply shouldn't own a home.


• Someone who has and in with the Edwards campaign, please direct him to take off that eyesore of a watch; it distracted me from the already-minuscule time he was able to get his mug on screen.

Item! Upcoming Notes from Ricky Shambles

It's always good to have something to look forward to. Actually, the posts are upcoming, not the notes. Sorry for the disappointment. Well, the notes are technically upcoming, but right here. Now. Really, just below this sentence.

1. More Debate Notes Just because you can't stomach it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the gems that fall from the verbal feces on both sides! I, your loyal reporter, will be constantly monitoring the schedules, vigorously viewing the Democratic and Republican debates, and coming back to you with only the essentials. Next installment: Tomorrow. Enjoy and thank the higher power you are not me.

2. World Net Daily's January Witch Hunt I was floating about the WND site - because I'm a romantic and I need pain in my life - when my eye spied a wonderfully fey, made-up woman looking something out of A Midsummer Night's Dream or Legend and the heavy title "Witchcraft in America." It's WND's WTF January Whistleblower. Looks like some of the basic conservative rhetoric explaining that Christians think Wicca is the devil while leaving out the part of Christianity's devil-ing of anything pagan starting some 1900 years ago while only flirting with aspirations of becoming an imperialistic religion. Seems it's even more terrifying now, though, because soldiers - God help us, soldiers - are worshiping overseas (implied: Christians > Muslims > Pagans). Anyway, I'll be chipping in my $7.50 for you, yes, you, so I can read it, become outraged, and you, too can be outraged and save almost $10. That's the kind of guy I am.

3. Best to Come: Creation Museum Holy crap, I found out in the last month or two that, here in Cincinnati, I live a river crossing from one of the biggest and bestest and well-funded Creation Museums in the region. I giggle at the prospect and get butterflies knowing that in the next 3 weeks, I will be attending, and I will be blogging. There will be snark. There will be pictures. And we can we can all have a good laugh at Intelligent Design as notScience.

I'll keep knocking out the posts until the last of you lingers nevermore. Thanks for your time!

How to Ruin YouTube

You've seen what Christians can do to reality in the Conservapedia (insanity level has dulled some since it kicked off about a year ago), and now you can see how Christians can ruin YouTube.

You guessed it: GodTube!

You've got Trunk Deacon, Christian Movie trailers, and my horrifyingly favorite: Making Zombies Young (embedded for her pleasure). The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not drool.



"Holy Shit!" is right. Christ on a bun, and all that. Damn.

FOX Attacks: Veterans

Do something.

Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

Kiss your First Amendment rights goodbye.

I first heard the alarm on this under-the-radar bill that has already flown through the House and is sitting in the Senate as S.1959 by Kate Chase over at ATD.

Mike Adams at NewsTarget.com has a comprehensively terrifying look at the bill and all the contact information you could need. Here's a clip:

The bill states:

‘...ideologically based violence’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs...

Note that this means the "planned use of force to promote a political or social belief" would be considered an act of terrorism. This all hinges on the definition of "force," of course. Based on the loose use of logic in Washington these days, and the slippery interpretation of the meaning of words, "force" could mean:

• A grassroots campaign to barrage Congress with faxes
• A non-violent street protest
• A letter-writing campaign that deluges the Senate with too much mail
• A sit-in protest that blocks access to a business or organization
• A grassroots e-mail campaign that overloads the e-mail servers of any government department or agency

You get the idea. "Force" could be defined as practically anything. And since the "planned use of force" would be considered a criminal act of terrorism, anyone who simply thinks about a grassroots action campaign would be engaged in terrorist acts.

If this bill passes, any blogger - especially me - who has and will continue to rant against the current administration could be taken off to jail for voicing my opposition. Voice yours before it's too late.

Put on your boots, and get busy kickin' or get busy shakin'.

Why Huckabee Burns My Biscuits

In a recent interview, he said this:

Well, I don’t think that’s a radical view to say we’re going to affirm marriage. I think the radical view is to say that we’re going to change the definition of marriage so that it can mean two men, two women, a man and three women, a man and a child, a man and animal.

According to Huck, homosexuality = polygamy = pedophilia = bestiality.

No one who still spouts this ignorance is fit to be our president.

Drudge's Rank: Misleading and Malodorous

I read the Drudge Report every day because it's a delicious slushpile of all things evil and conservative. Today, Matt Drudge released his periodic "I'm so damned awesome!" rankings by Hitwise Media Weekly Report:

The Rankings



And if this blog were #9 on a media list, on par with FOX News for internet traffic, I'd be peeing my pants and shouting from the mountaintops too. But Matt Drudge is fiddling in trickery and blindly fooling millions.

Here's a logic puzzle: How does Matt Drudge, with one single web page (and the occasional all-caps DEVELOPING page), gain parity with the FOX News website, which has thousands of pages of varying news?

What Is Actually Being Measured

What are being measured are "hits," and that means that any time you or any person goes to Matt Drudge's front page, it registers a hit. If you visit again later that day, another hit, etc. It does not measure each individual visitor, which is a viable and available statistic, but every time the page is accessed.

The Trickery

The trickery occurs in two ways:

1. The Back Button: When you go to Drudge's site and click on a link, instead of opening another window or tab, you are taken to that page. Read the story and want to see another one? Back button to Drudge's site, log another hit. Rinse and repeat. This can easily ring up 10-20+ hits by just one person in a matter of minutes.


2. Refresh Code: I won't go into the techie details, but Drudge's site has a javascript code built into the page that will automatically refresh the page every three minutes, each time accessing the page again, each time clocking another hit. Basically, this means that if you go to Drudge's site and just leave the page open in a browser window or tab, you will tally 20 hits/hour for the site by doing nothing at all.

But How Do I Fight Such Kung Fu?

Like a ninja, of course. Here's what I do to avoid giving Mr. Drudge hits he does not deserve:

1. Go to the Drudge Report.


2. Hold down the CTRL key.


3. Quickly scan and click the stories you would like to read - using Firefox, this opens the stories in new tabs while keeping Drudge in the current window. I believe Internet Explorer works the same way.


4. As soon as you're done, close the Drudge window.


5. Leisurely browse the other stories.

If you're a quick reader/clicker, you can probably get this done without a single refresh, only logging one hit for Mr. Drudge.

Happy browsing!

Michael Savage Loves His Hate

This is Michael Savage:

Radio host Michael Savage is using frivolous lawsuits to bully those who try to expose his vicious hate speech.

Michael Savage is suing CAIR for posting a clip of his hate speech on their site. His frivolous lawsuit claims "copyright infringement" because the CAIR site featured a "donate" button.

In defense of free speech, we're posting the same clip next to our own donate button.

Click the above link to see and listen to more examples of Michael Savage's hate speech.

Quick note: what Michael Savage says is biased, ugly, and ignorant and I have a very difficult time listening to him. But it is free speech, isn't it? If you don't like it, tell him. If you don't like it, don't listen. If you don't like it, don't support his sponsors. But do we drive him from the air? Personally, I'd rather have the assbag on a pedestal where I can keep a close eye on him.

(nosavage.org is organized by Brave New Films)

Mercury Rising by MESSENGER

MESSENGER has its first look at Mercury:



This is the first time anyone has seen Mercury like this. Evar. It gets me all giddy. And this is just a flyby. MESSENGER will fall into permanent orbit in 2011 and get pictures that will make me weep. Check out the MESSENGER Page for a much, much bigger version.

(h/t to Bad Astronomy)

Bush and Abdullah - Strange Bedfellows

Note: All images pulled from CNN video

In the past couple days, President Bush has toured the Middle East, beginning with the first time in 7 years as a president that he's ever been to Israel. Personally, I wouldn't count that as genuine concern, but when you're drumming up support for the invasion of Iran, you've gotta take the big boy pill and cross the pond.



Luckily, Bush made it to Saudi Arabia, where he was promptly given a saber to properly rattle. Doesn't this look like an action shot from a community theatre production of Lawrence of Arabia: The Musical?



Bush also gets a "Special Person's Robe," and he's so proud of himself, walking down the aisle like on graduation. Incidentally, that is the definition of "shit-eating grin."



There was quite a lot of hand-holding through the discussion process; kisses were in private. And often.



UPDATE: Told you. Caught in that final, tingling, anticipatory second. Mmmm.




Nothing like losing yourself in some tea post-coitus...



...and seeing what "hung like a horse" is supposed to mean.

All in all, it looks like it was a successful trip. The President just hopes that Abdullah will call, or else it's...


...you know.

Notes on the Nevada Democratic Debate

The more the pool of NBC-sanctioned candidates shrinks, the more tragically boring the debates get. I'd write a mathematical equation, but let's just say that this one sucked the most so far.

Short summary: Kucinich was punked, Everybody loves each other, no one has a true weakness, Hillary uses ninja attack once, and Chris Matthews is still an asshat.

Let's itemize, shall we?

• Kucinich drama summary: NBC says "Hey, join us!" then says "Oops, hey forget about that thing we said." Dennis sues and appeals court says "Heck yeah you should be there" and minutes before the debate the Nevada Supreme Court says "No dice." NBC should be ashamed; the American people (and maybe the other candidates?) should at least act like they care.


• Everyone plays nice: the media-spewed race issue is no longer an issue. Yay! But toned-down issue foreshadowing of excitement level of rest of 2 hours. Boo.


• The people will elect whomever will effect change and says No to lobbyists and everyone on stage likes each other and "I agree" and "I respect" and - can we cut the damned oral sex daisy chain and maybe discuss why one of you is better than the other?


• Obama started the debate with his signature "Uhm"s but softened it towards Hillary's "ah" pronunciation by the end.


• Edwards was dang proud of flapping his arms to conjure up the word "fervently." It was tremendous.


• Edwards states that thousands of Americans come to Nevada every day to find the Promise of America. Gambling on a shot at unearned cash winnings is the American Dream? He later claims he meant people looking for work, moving to Nevada, but if population growth from 2000 to 2006 is any indication, daily average increase was a little over 200 people. So he was wrong, or he meant gambling. Or hookers.


• John Edwards constantly wears an obnoxiously large black K-Mart watch that, in its enormity, refuses to be hidden under his clothing. What the hell?


• Obama's greatest weakness is that he has a messy desk, Edwards cares too much, and Hillary pushes too hard. Were these answers given at a job interview, the interviewer would've replied "Okay, thanks. We'll let you know." Wait; this is a job interview.


• Hillary takes a double whack at Obama and Edwards on Yucca Mountain, attacking like a ninja; Obama is afraid to hit a girl; Edwards attacks, but amidst cries for relevance, appears to be tossing cream pies. Yes, I just called John Edwards a clown. And yes, he amuses me.


• Hillary is "against illegal guns." That's probably a good thing. For all things that are illegal.


• Post debate: Chris Matthews exploded onto the screen declaring Hillary the hands-down winner, amazed at her performance, talking like she's already the Democratic candidate, and "playing on the varsity team." The rest of the MSNBC team tried to calm him down, to no avail (at least poor Olbermann didn't have to be in the same room with him this round). Why is this disaster still on television?

I was bored. I was tired. And nothing happened. As soon as one candidate picked up on a topic, the others picked up and agreed. Iraq was equalized between them on nuance, everyone's for the economy, against the current administration and all the Republican candidates. So how to decide?

Personally, I think I'm still pushing for Dennis through the primary (Kate and I are voting on the same day - how fun!), but you've got three choices.

1. Stick to your original, gut reaction, even if they're not going to win the primary in your state.


2. Base your choice on experience, once you define for yourself what type of experience matters and how much of that experience each candidate has.


3. If you're looking for most presidential, while the misguided, obnoxious rantings of Matthews were unprofessional, he was not entirely off base: last night, Hillary looked and spoke like the leader, flanked by her seconds.


4. Base your choice on the woman, the African-American, or the rich white guy who was poor as a kid.

Cheers!

Kucinich and Democratic Reindeer Games

a.k.a., Shotgun Debate in Nevada. From the LA Times:

A Nevada judge said Monday that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis J. Kucinich must be included in today's candidate debate in Nevada.

Senior Clark County District Judge Charles Thompson said if Kucinich was excluded, he would issue an injunction stopping the televised debate.

The judge sided with a lawyer for the Ohio congressman, who said MSNBC invited Kucinich to take part and then told him that he couldn't.

"We disagree with the judge's decision and are filing an appeal," said a statement provided by Jeremy Gaines, a communications vice president for MSNBC.

He said the network would seek an immediate hearing before the Nevada Supreme Court.

MSNBC says they billed the debate as only the top 3 candidates, but I can swear I saw a promo for the "showdown" debate featuring Bill Richardson's mug before he removed himself from the race.

MSNBC, there are two options here: Say "oops" and set up a fourth podium or scramble to the Nevada Supreme Court and make complete asses of yourselves on a national stage to prove just how far you will go to silence minority opinion.

Davis Fleetwood has some excellent summary information about the story so far, GE (NBC's parent company) and war profiteering, and contact information for NBC and the DNC - and his live calls to those organizations.