Short documentary by 17 year old sparks new controversy. (Video plays after 15 second ad)
This follows a good piece on the Disciple Generation, a "fierce new face of American evangelism" that Salon did a little less than a month ago.
Stephen Baldwin. The dude can only name 6 of the 10 commandments and needless to say is a complete moron. Also check out this interview with him for some hilarious hypocrisy.
For every overbearing fundamentalist parent there will be a child who rebels against that fundamentalism.
...but only when it comes to evil, crazy bitches.
"Despite being widely reported in the media that the U.S. and other countries have not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, surprisingly; more U.S. adults (50%) think that Iraq had such weapons when the U.S. invaded Iraq. This is an increase from 36 percent in February 2005."
I would like to see the numbers on the existence of the tooth fairy and easter bunny. Who are these fucking idiots? On a more positive note, a FOX News Poll (of all places) finds that voters strongly favor Democrats on key issues such as the economy and gas prices, and give the minority party a double-digit lead for control of Congress this fall.
...of the US adult population never reads another book after high school. That surprising stat may turn out to be a bit pessimistic but I still would bet that people exaggerate their book reading on most surveys.
Based on the broken windows theory that if you fix the little things the big things get easier to manage, " Minneapolis police are considering a New York-style attack on loitering, aggressive panhandling, intimidation, drug-selling, loud cursing and other disorderly behavior at downtown bus stops and along sidewalks in the city's core. While downtown Minneapolis is uncommonly free of serious crime, bands of obstreperous and unpredictable youths and other assorted street characters give the opposite impression."
Later in the article Deputy Police Chief Rob Allen tells of his experience:
"...walking down Hennepin Avenue in full uniform and being forced off the curb by a line of gangster lookalikes.(sic) "If that's their level of respect for me, imagine how they treat other people," he said. ...getting hassled feeds a perception of danger, and in these matters perception is everything."
I feel old, and white and suburban saying so but I have felt intimidated down near the heart of Minneapolis (Block E) and while I don't really think anything will happen, I do have a much more heightened awareness and resent the way I am made to feel towards these young kids.
He easily deflects the absurd slippery slope idea and shows Bennett and others who share this idea to be out of touch.
Excerpted from an article from another article:
In a March interview with Bill Simmons, celebrated business thinker and author Malcolm Gladwell offered an interesting theory on why many people don't do what they should:
"Why don't people work hard when it's in their best interest to do so? ... The (short) answer is that it's really risky to work hard, because then if you fail, you can no longer say that you failed because you didn't work hard. It's a form of self-protection. I swear that's why [golfer Phil] Mickelson has that almost absurdly calm demeanor. If he loses, he can always say: Well, I could have practiced more, and maybe next year I will, and I'll win then. When Tiger [Woods] loses, what does he tell himself? He worked as hard as he possibly could. He prepared like no one else in the game, and he still lost. That has to be devastating, and dealing with that kind of conclusion takes a very special and rare kind of resilience.
Most of the psychological research on this is focused on why some kids don't study for tests -- which is a much more serious version of the same problem. If you get drunk the night before an exam instead of studying and you fail, then the problem is that you got drunk. If you do study and you fail, the problem is that you're stupid -- and stupid, for a student, is a death sentence. The point is that it is far more psychologically dangerous and difficult to prepare for a task than not to prepare."
The same thing apparently holds true for most investors. The author of this Motley Fool article calls for bravery when investing:
"What's needed, then, is more bravery on our part, and fewer excuses. Yes, we may fail, but we need to try -- and we can always learn from our mistakes and improve. If we don't take action, such as planning and saving for retirement, we stand an even greater chance of failing."
The FBI and Justice Department is "interested in records that would allow them to identify which individuals visited certain Web sites and possibly conducted searches using certain terms. It also wants the Internet companies to retain records about whom their users exchange e-mail with..."
I cannot believe what has happened to our country in the last 8 years. Forget for a moment what you have been taught since you were very young - that the U.S. is a great bastion of freedom and democracy and think about what our country does both in the world and here at home: preemptive war on unfounded grounds, torture and illegal detention, murder (and cover-up) of civilians (oh my god there is another report of this!), spying and wiretapping the phones of it citizens, removing protections to whistle-blowers, fixing elections, and now asking that all user data online be retained for future "use". Aren't these the things that those other countries that we despise do? What way of life are we now protecting and promoting if not one that is free from such things?
That would be quite an article if it weren't 3 really good articles: The Theology of the Tsunami, The Improbability of God, and Natural ‘Knowledge’ and Natural ‘Design’
The Paris Hilton and West Wing bits alone make it worthwhile to watch this segment. And you might as weell fire this one up too, Samantha Bee on preparedness.
"One of the wilder stories circulating about Sept 11, and one that has attracted something of a cult following amongst conspiracy buffs is that it was carried out by 19 fanatical Arab hijackers, masterminded by an evil genius named Osama bin Laden, with no apparent motivation other than that they 'hate our freedoms.'"
A professional data-miner weighs in on how our phone records may really be used.
Anti-recruiting website for today's youth combats the Army's (and other branches) despicable tactics to draft the poor into service.
Funniest damn thing I have seen in a while! NSFR (Not Safe For Republicans) This is Steven Colbert ripping a very displeased looking President Bush at a White House correspondents dinner. How the hell did he get invited? Did Bush think Colbert was another O'Reilly because of the Colbert Report? Looks like another intelligence breakdown. Full version here may stay up longer. For those who prefer to read.
"I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."
This is a pretty good read on the use of loopholes and how, in some way, those who employ them are admired for their skill and temerity. I had no idea that the pudding loophole from Punch Drunk Love was a real thing! I also had no idea how much of a schmuck the late Sonny Bono was. In regards to proposing legislation to indefinitely extend copyright law, Sonny's wife read his comments:
"Sonny wanted the term of copyright protection to last forever. I am informed by staff that such a change would violate the Constitution [but] there is also [Motion Picture Association of America president] Jack Valenti’s proposal for the term to last forever less one day. Perhaps the Committee may look at that next Congress."
Matt, perhaps leaves the best bit for the end when at the end of a discussion about man's search for a way to find a loophole extracting us (and setting us above) the rest of the animal kingdom, he stumbles upon the one loophole that may do, just that:
"And yet, as an ardent evolutionist, I do think we differ from animals in one enormous respect: the deliberate use of birth control. We have discovered the greatest loophole of all: Evolution has tried to coerce us into procreation by attaching great pleasure to the act of mating, and we’ve figured out how to couple up and get the goods while ignoring the “intent” of sex. Other species are slaves to their DNA, their genes calling the shots in their selfish attempts to get replicated and passed on; we, on the other hand, have the power to thwart our masters."
This great Robert Smigel cartoon aired on Saturday Night Live on March 14, 1998 but was edited out of the reruns.
In the vein of the (slowly dying?) In Passing. Also see Overheard in New York.
I only wish these had included data on the secular population.
A small Tulsa, Oklahoma-based coffee shop named Doubleshot is being sued by Starbucks because they are infringing on a trademark some idiot gave to them. At least they are fighting back.
It looks like there is already a boycott or two started for various reasons. I'm on board. Screw lawyers! Down with crappy coffee!
"Surprisingly, this difference was primarily due to significant changes in white behavior. Whites on diverse juries cited more case facts, made fewer mistakes in recalling facts and evidence, and pointed out missing evidence more frequently than did those on all-white juries. They were also more amenable to discussing racism when in diverse groups."
He used to bring people together and give them hope. He wouldn't have his people get in your face and tell you to fight gay rights or you'll burn in hell. That's not what he was about. That's not the Jesus who made folks such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson rich and famous. He was a different guy from the 21st-century: American Jesus Christ.
Along the same lines as my post some time back on the cost of the war in Iraq, this site lets you compare the cost of, say funding school programs (31,473,652 children could attend a year of Head Start), providing public housing (2,139,600 additional housing units), or feeding the world's hunger (fully funded global anti-hunger efforts for 9 years) with the obviously more important and Christian act of invading another country, deposing their leader, and occupying it with no real idea of what the hell to do. Also See: The National Priorities site has a ton of calculators etc showing how spending of all sorts could be put to better use globally, nationally, and even locally (down to the city). What are your priorities?