Valerie Tarico: Ancient Mythic Origins of the Christmas Story

Valerie Tarico: Ancient Mythic Origins of the Christmas Story

Or consider the idea that Mary is a virgin. The Greek writer of Matthew quotes Isaiah as saying: "a parthenos shall conceive and bear a child." The Hebrew word in Isaiah is "almah," which means simply "young woman." But the Greek word parthenos can mean either a virgin or a young woman, and it got translated as "virgin." Modern Bible translations have corrected this, but it is a central part of the Christmas story.

That's a lot of added complications. If the rest of the New Testament doesn't refer to these stories or need them, then how did we end up with them? Where do they come from?

One part of the answer comes from Hellenistic culture. (It is no accident all New Testament books written in Greek.) In this tradition, when a man did something extraordinary there was the assumption that he did this because he was different, either divine or semi-divine. They would make up a story about how he came to be divine. Almost all Greek heroes were said to be born of a human woman and a god--even Alexander the Great, Augustus and Pythagoras.
The father typically was Zeus or Apollo. The god would come and sleep with the woman, pretending to be the husband or as a bolt of lightning, or some such. Greek mythology also shows up in the book of Genesis: the gods lusting after the women and coming down and mating with them.

Obama names Tom Vilsack, Ken Salazar to Cabinet - Los Angeles Times

Obama names Tom Vilsack, Ken Salazar to Cabinet - Los Angeles Times

don't know much about salazar 'cept that he was obviously raised in a barn.
you don't wear a hat indoors.
bum phillips never wore his in the dome.
you don't wear a hat indoors.
didn't yr mama teach you nothin'?

it starts

the hostility
starts in my shoulders
works up to my brain
down to my fists

spills out my mouth

The long walk home.

been

been a rough
coupla years
alienated
a lot of folks
change is coming

at the bar I think
fuck it,
i mean,
these people
are still alive...

I could run
with the wrong crowd
drink myself
to death in 10
or run
with the wrong crowd
back to the office habit
heart failure in about the same

been a rough coupla years
time for a reinvention
a renovation
a goddamned look in the mirror
with a harsher light

but tonight
i just wish
i could sleep

Maybe they aren't evil genuises?

“This woman wasn’t saying that Wall Street bankers were corrupt,” he added. “She was saying they were stupid. Her message was clear. If you want to know what these Wall Street firms are really worth, take a hard look at the crappy assets they bought with huge sums of borrowed money, and imagine what they’d fetch in a fire sale... For better than a year now, Whitney has responded to the claims by bankers and brokers that they had put their problems behind them with this write-down or that capital raise with a claim of her own: You’re wrong. You’re still not facing up to how badly you have mismanaged your business.”



The Citigroup bailout is the worst yet...
The ones handling yr money - they aren't exactly the best and the brightest.

2001

I am so making one of these:

From 1999 to 2008 over 100 people abducted by aliens have reported using thought screen helmets and hats made with Velostat. Since 1999 only two abductees were taken when they wore thought screen helmets with Velostat. Most of the other abductees using thought screen helmets reported success. Some abductees could not be reached after they tried their thought screen helmets.

It's all about the velostat.
yeah.

post 2000

and all I have to say is if union contracts are on the table in the auto industry bailout then executive compensation needs to be on the table too...

of course the answer is to promote unions everywhere so Toyota doesn't get breaks by manufacturing in non-union states.

Just watching MSNBC and getting mad at all the class warfare. Some talking head blaming the auto industry's collapse on the unions. How dare they suggest that the economic collapse is the fault of working people? or even worse the poor? As they've tried to do with the mortgage/banking collapse.
Just - just - fuck them.
Really.

Dostoyevsky: To care only for well-being seems to me positively ill-bred. Whether it's good or bad, it is sometimes very pleasant, too, to

The Associated Press: Some Conn. Democrats still want Lieberman punished

The Associated Press: Some Conn. Democrats still want Lieberman punished:

"'We have no problem with whatever Joe does, but don't do it as a Democrat,' she said. 'If you want to be independent, I can totally respect that and understand that. But be an independent.'"

Obama Advisers: Torture Prosecutions Not Likely

Obama Advisers: Torture Prosecutions Not Likely:

"'Both for policy and political reasons, it would not be beneficial to spend a lot of time hauling people up before Congress or before grand juries and going over what went on,' Litt said at a Brookings Institution discussion about Obama's legal policy. 'To as great of an extent we can say, the last eight years are over, now we can move forward _ that would be beneficial both to the country and the president, politically.'"

Yes, let's set the precedent that the executive branch is above the law, that disrespect for the constitution and picking and choosing among the first ten amendments is what we expect from our justice department. That would be beneficial to the president, not just politically. How many criminals get to walk away and just say, "Well, my crimes are in the past and I'm not in a position to commit those particular crimes again. Can't we just say the past is over and move on?"

Lieberman again...

yeah, so I'm crazy...

BECK: But do you agree that Senator Hatch said to me that if we don’t at least have the firewall of the filibuster in the Senate that in many ways America will not survive?

LIEBERMAN: Well, I hope it’s not like that, but I fear.

o.k... so unless Lieberman is a lying opportunist it is his moral responsibility to leave the democratic caucus if by staying in the caucus he would give the democrats a 60 seat majority.

If the dems win the remaining senate seats we need to all call Lieberman's office to make sure he will leave the caucus - otherwise I fear America will not survive.

Hollywood Out Of Step With American Morals: Poll

Hollywood Out Of Step With American Morals: Poll


Are these people socialists? obviously the market dictates what hollywood produces, right? so to argue against the cultural products of the industry is to attack America and I for one won't stand for it. Surely they don't trust Big Government to regulate Hollywood?


and this, ladies and germs, is how we split the American right.

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"Lieberman, whose committee is responsible for investigating government, declined to hold hearings on the response to Katrina, saying he didn't want to 'play gotcha'. Likewise, he didn't want to investigate Blackwater or other Iraq contractors. As far as the oversight part of his committee chairmanship, he was missing in action.

Oversight matters. It mattered during the Bush administration, and it will matter during an Obama administration. (Naturally, I'd be happier if Obama simply never made any mistakes, but I'm not counting on it, and so I want to have a backup plan.) Since Lieberman has shown no signs of wanting to exercise this function, he should not chair the committee responsible for it. Democrats should not be agonizing over this choice; they should be delighted that they have an excuse to remove a dysfunctional chair from an important committee."

Setting a precedent... Lieberman

The Washington Monthly: "One other angle that I haven't seen discussed much is the notion of establishing a bad precedent. In 1964, Rep. John Bell Williams (D) of Mississippi and Rep. Albert Watson (D) of South Carolina both endorsed Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign, and both were punished by losing their seniority. Four years later, Rep. John Rarick (D) of Louisiana endorsed George Wallace's presidential campaign, and the party stripped him of his committee seniority, too.

In other words, what Lieberman is asking for here is special treatment. Worse, he's asking for special treatment he hasn't earned, as evidenced by his awful two-year tenure as the chairman of the committee he wants to keep."

Lieberman's Empty Promises - The Daily Beast

This man should not be in the democratic caucus.

Lieberman's Empty Promises - The Daily Beast:

"Lieberman subsequently told the New Haven Register that he opposed legislation that would have required all publicly funded hospitals to provide Plan B contraception to rape victims, saying 'it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital' (for which he earned himself the sobriquet 'Short Ride.')"

Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Obama for America: 2008 Victory T-shirt

Got an e-mail with this plea in it today:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Obama for America: 2008 Victory T-shirt:

"The Democratic National Committee poured all of its resources into building our successful 50-state field program. And they played a crucial role in helping Barack win in unlikely states like North Carolina and Indiana. We even picked up an electoral vote in Nebraska."

what they aren't saying in this plea for funds is this

"...the DNC organizers who implement the 50 state strategy are about to be let go. Apparently they will be laid off at the end of the month, and the new DNC chair will decide whether he or she wants to continue the 50 state policy."

http://firedoglake.com/2008/11/07/50-state-strategy-being-killed-by-letting-the-organizers-go/

If they want my money I need a to be told the 50 state strategy will continue - that it is the future of the Democratic Party.

that is all.

Poker Returns to the White House - The Daily Beast

Poker Returns to the White House - The Daily Beast:

"This moved Time magazine to reveal two months later that John McCain is, by contrast, a manic craps player. I was in Las Vegas at the time, for the 2008 World Series of Poker; reached by London’s Sunday Telegraph for comment, I ventured: 'We poker players don't call poker gambling. It’s a game of skill. Craps is an absurd game of luck...only madmen play craps.'"

A brief reminder: OBAMA!

America Serves | Change.gov

America Serves | Change.gov:

"The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start."

Lots of policy details at change.gov

still impressed.

SENSITIVE SOUL- New York Post

SENSITIVE SOUL- New York Post:

"ACTOR/playwright Wallace Shawn blames President Bush for wrecking his love life and causing writer's block."


Hmm... Let me try this -
I've been a crazy bastard the last two years because Bush was president. Obviously that made me all crazy-like and when yr all crazy-like, of course, sometimes you are a bastard.

did that work?

Parade leaving hyde park and morgan after the speech

Happy Halloween!

TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama:

"'We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger,' this worker said. 'I wouldn't do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting.'

This worker, too, confirmed sacrificing pay to walk out, saying her supervisor told her: 'If you don't wanna phone it you can just go home for the day.'

The script coincided with this robo-slime call running in other states, but because robocalling is illegal in Indiana it was being read by call center workers."

Arriving soon: atheist bus campaign gets off to a flying start |

Arriving soon: atheist bus campaign gets off to a flying start |
World news |
The Guardian: "Churches have responded favourably. The British Methodist church welcomed Dawkins's 'continued interest' in God, encouraging people to think about the issue. The Church of England said it would defend the right of any group representing a religious or philosophical position to promote that view through appropriate channels.

A spokesman added: 'Christian belief is not about worrying or not enjoying life. Quite the opposite: our faith liberates us to put this life into a proper perspective."

Ariane Sherine: All aboard the atheist bus campaign |

Ariane Sherine: All aboard the atheist bus campaign |
Comment is free |
guardian.co.uk: "The atheist bus campaign launches today thanks to Comment is free readers. Because of your enthusiastic response to the idea of a reassuring God-free advert being used to counter religious advertising, the slogan 'There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life' could now become an ad campaign on London buses – and leading secularists have jumped on board to help us raise the money."

Stand proud fellow Humanists!
or something like that.

It has been a good year for atheists.
Religulous, Dawkins, Hitchens, and now this...
at least we are getting our message out.

Carl Bernstein: Ayers and the McCain-G. Gordon Liddy Symbiosis

Carl Bernstein: Ayers and the McCain-G. Gordon Liddy Symbiosis:

"During the same period that Bill Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground, Gordon Liddy was making plans to firebomb a Washington think tank, assassinate a prominent journalist, undertake the Watergate burglary, break into the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, and kidnap anti-war protesters at the 1972 Republican convention."

Johann Hari: My Interview with G. Gordon Liddy

Johann Hari: My Interview with G. Gordon Liddy:

"Despite his disgrace, one of Liddy's ideas is still at the heart of US policy today. He is one of the godfather of America's 'War on Drugs' - a wild rampage that continues to rip through the globe from Afghanistan to Colombia today. Liddy drafted the ideas for the Drug Enforcement Agency in 1971, and used it as an excuse to extend his gangster politics to Mexico and Turkey, amongst others. He describes him plans as 'an exercise in international extortion, pure, simple and effective.' The 'War on Drugs' continues in proud Liddy-style today. Only the last adjective - 'effective' - was never true. Predictably, he says the only problem with the 'War on Drugs' today is that it is too soft. 'We have stopped prosecuting minor drug offences in the US.' Really? The one million black men in jail or on parole for drug offences today might think differently. 'No, we need to fight this war much harder,' he says vaguely."

Battlestar Galactica: 7 Deleted Scenes From Galactica's Fourth Season Answer Some Burning Questions

Battlestar Galactica: 7 Deleted Scenes From Galactica's Fourth Season Answer Some Burning Questions:

"'Toaster' Is An Ugly Word"

that is a t-shirt i would buy.

Drinkin at cecil's. Care to join me?

Drinkin at cecil's. Care to join me?

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"Americans need to ask themselves if they've ever befriended a convicted felon who advised his supporters on how best to shoot federal officials in the head. John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they've ever used the money of a convicted criminal to help them buy their house. John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they've ever befriended a radical televangelist who has lashed out at the Roman Catholic Church, calling it, among other things, 'the great whore' and 'a false cult system.' John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they've ever sought economic advice from a far-right former lawmaker who 'has diminished American solvency and power beyond the wildest dreams of anti-American terrorists.' John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they've ever befriended a radical televangelist who blamed the attacks of Sept. 11 on Americans. John McCain has."

Tdu is at trader's village.

PsyBlog: How to Improve Your Self-Control

PsyBlog: How to Improve Your Self-Control:

"Temptation comes in many forms, often so potent, so animal, that it seems impossible to resist."

Grigori Rasputin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grigori Rasputin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Rasputin's daughter, Maria Rasputin (Matryona Rasputina) (1889–1977), emigrated to France after the October Revolution, and then to the U.S. There she worked as a dancer and then a tiger-trainer in a circus. She left memoirs[14] about her father, wherein she painted an almost saintly picture of him, insisting that most of the negative stories were based on slander and the misinterpretations of facts by his enemies."

Grigori Rasputin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grigori Rasputin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"According to Rasputin's daughter, Maria, Rasputin did 'look into' the Khlysty sect but rejected it. One Khlyst practice was known as 'rejoicing' (радение), a ritual which sought to overcome human sexual urges by engaging in group sexual activities so that, in consciously sinning together, the sin's power over the human was nullified.[11] Rasputin is said to have been particularly appalled by the belief that grace is found through self-flagellation."

The Home of Rasputin

The Home of Rasputin:

"Tsar of the land of Russia, if you hear the sound of the bell which will tell you that Grigory has been killed, you must know this: if it was your relations who have wrought my death then no one of your family, that is to say, none of your children or relations will remain alive for more than two years. They will be killed by the Russian people...I shall be killed. I am no longer among the living. Pray, pray, be strong, think of your blessed family."

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"Homosexuality: Couric asked about her church sponsoring a conference about making gay people straight through prayer. Palin said she didn't know if prayer could change a person's sexual orientation, adding, 'I have one of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years happens to be gay, and I love her dearly. And she is not my 'gay friend,' she is one of my best friends, who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice I would have made.' (In other words, Palin believes sexual orientation is a 'choice' people make?)"

one more thing...

be sure to tell remind everyone

this whole economic meltdown

this is Reagan's legacy

life lessons

mom told me
anybody
can get over
anything
mental
no sympathy
for those
who can't go on
after all
she got over
the divorce

dad told me
he smoked for years
when he was married to mom
because he didn't care
if he lived
or died

they were good parents

Mikhail Bakunin - Wikiquote

Mikhail Bakunin - Wikiquote:

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick.'"

Mikhail Bakunin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mikhail Bakunin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"By 'liberty', Bakunin did not mean an abstract ideal but a concrete reality based on the equal liberty of others. In a positive sense, liberty consists of 'the fullest development of all the faculties and powers of every human being, by education, by scientific training, and by material prosperity.' Such a conception of liberty is 'eminently social, because it can only be realized in society,' not in isolation. In a negative sense, liberty is 'the revolt of the individual against all divine, collective, and individual authority.'"

Anarchism: Arguments for and against -- by Albert Meltzer

Anarchism: Arguments for and against -- by Albert Meltzer:

"The Anarchists can as individuals or in groups press for reforms but as Anarchists they seek to change minds and attitudes, not to pass laws. When minds are changed, laws become obsolete and, sooner or later, law enforcers are unable to operate them. Prohibition in America, the Poll Tax in Britain, are instances. At that point the law has to adapt itself to public opinion."

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"McCain, in other words, apparently wants to call a time-out. I don't blame him, necessarily, but here's the thing: presidents don't get to call time-outs. They don't get to put some responsibilities on hold while they tend to other responsibilities. They need to be resilient, and put their duties ahead of the distractions and fatigue."

tips for supervillians

1. Be the disaster you wish to see in the world.
2. Consider public office.
3. Let yr actions speak for themselves. Don't be a braggard.
4. Listen to yr inner voices - at least the monstrous ones.
5. When thinking about yr costume - consider green - it is more evil than you think.


more to come...

Study: Facebook profiles can be used to detect narcissism

Study: Facebook profiles can be used to detect narcissism:

"Narcissism is a trait of particular interest, Campbell said, because it hampers the ability form healthy, long-term relationships. 'Narcissists might initially be seen as charming, but they end up using people for their own advantage,' Campbell said. 'They hurt the people around them and they hurt themselves in the long run."

adn.com | Alaska Politics Blog : Green: 'They're attacking nice people, saying things that aren't true.'

adn.com | Alaska Politics Blog : Green: 'They're attacking nice people, saying things that aren't true.':

"Green said she is making calls and exploring whether she could call the Senate back into session to either instruct the attorney general to change his position, or to order those subpoenaed under the Legislative investigation to honor that call. Whether the Republican-controlled House would go along is another question."

I'm pretty sure that if I ignored a subpoena that I would go to jail.

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"So, Palin vowed to cooperate with the legislature's investigation. Then she decided she wanted to be the vice president, broke her word, and decided to stonewall. As an alternative, though, Palin is perfectly content to cooperate with a parallel investigation from the state personnel board -- every member of which just happens to serve at the will of the governor."

TPMCafe | Talking Points Memo | The Bailout To End All Bailouts

TPMCafe | Talking Points Memo | The Bailout To End All Bailouts:

"Bailing out Wall Street's bad debts when millions more Americans can't pay their bills is like bailing out a rowboat springing more leaks while the ocean is rising. Many of the average taxpayers being asked to take on Wall Street's bad loans are the same people whose incomes are dropping, which means they're struggling to pay their debts and potentially creating even more bad loans."

Laura Flanders: An Economic Coup?

Laura Flanders: An Economic Coup?:

"The oligarchs in Bolivia used bullets and batons to undermine democracy. Here the weapons look like bailouts and blank checks, but the end goal is the same: Put the economy in a vice and you've tied the hands of whomever's in office. You, the voter, may not vote for the team that promises -- as the GOP service-cutters have promised -- to shrink the Treasury to a puddle that can be drowned in a bathtub. But no matter, your candidate gets the keys to the Treasury and - presto, the Treasury is bare."

Some will rob you with a six gun,
others with a fountain pen.

Paulson's plan makes me insane with anger.
insane.
boiling
bubbling
seething
anger

McCain on banking and health - Paul Krugman - Op-Ed Columnist - New York Times Blog

McCain on banking and health - Paul Krugman - Op-Ed Columnist - New York Times Blog:

"So McCain, who now poses as the scourge of Wall Street, was praising financial deregulation like 10 seconds ago — and promising that if we marketize health care, it will perform as well as the financial industry!"

I really really really hope people are paying attention.

How much financial CEOs got paid to ruin their companies - Network World

How much financial CEOs got paid to ruin their companies - Network World

My economics prof. told us that CEOs make so much more than regular workers because they work that much harder. That was obviously bullshit. I stopped going to class.

He could have tried the line that CEOs make so much more than regular workers because they create value - or something like that - but that is also, now, obviously bullshit.

There should be some sort of law - if you are a CEO and yr company goes bankrupt or has to be bailed out - yr salary and bonuses should be forfeit to yr shareholders or the American taxpayers. The rewards for failure should be a lot less.

AKMuckraker: Palin Lies: One Man's Protest on the Juneau Cruise Ship Docks

AKMuckraker: Palin Lies: One Man's Protest on the Juneau Cruise Ship Docks:

A great story about a one man Palin protest in Alaska - but I want to highlight this bit -

"Shortly thereafter, I was accosted by a couple of 60-year old women from somewhere in the South. They quickly grouped me into an unsavory collective 'you-all'. Suddenly they were quoting Palin's approval rating and Obama's record as America's most liberal senator (reminding me they got their information straight from CNN). They were joined by their husbands and a couple of other tourists. They stood over me and shook their fingers. Did I want to be a socialist? Did I remember Jimmy Carter's administration? Was I really for health care for 'all' people? Then they brought out the big gun: 'How about Ronald Reagan?' I have to admit at first I was a bit angry, but once Reagan was mentioned I had to laugh. I said something about Reaganomics. More clucking, head shaking and pointing. Finally I defused the situation by asking if they were enjoying their cruise. This seemed to settle everyone down and they walked away with only a small chunk of my butt between their teeth."

I know Obama can't spend time on this - he has a campaign to win - and running down Reagan probably won't help - but the rest of us - those of us who knew back in the 80's where Reaganomics were taking us - we need to speak up and let people know that this current economic crisis - this is Reagan's true legacy. The deregulation madness - the trickle-down sickness - these things along with bush's incompetence, graft and cronyism have left us in a country that needs a lot of fixing - on fundamental levels.

Hullabaloo

Hullabaloo:

"Basically, with no cause, police ran over and beat up some members of the progressive media. They did it because the money they will lose from civil suits over the matter has already been paid. So, of course the charges were dropped. There were no real charges. It was beating, paid for by the Republican Party, pure and simple."

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"At the exact same time the RNC was slamming the Obama campaign for using the Wall Street crisis to raise money, the McCain campaign was using the Wall Street crisis to raise money. In emails sent to McCain donors, the campaign explained, 'The American economy is in a crisis. It is in a crisis,' and promoted headlines such as, 'McCain Promises to 'Clean Up Wall Street.'' The McCain campaign email also connected the solicitation to a recent TV ad, which begins, 'When our economy's in crisis, a big government casts a big shadow on us all. Obama and his liberal Congressional allies want a massive government, billions in spending increases, wasteful pork.'"

Joseph A. Palermo: A Fitting Denouement to Eight Years of Miserable Rule

Joseph A. Palermo: A Fitting Denouement to Eight Years of Miserable Rule:

"Franklin D. Roosevelt told the nation that the economic collapse he inherited after twelve years of Republican Party dominance proved that unbridled greed is not only bad morals but also bad economics."

political comics i'd like to see

(postmodernbarney.com):

"'Doctor Blake...I'm a little confused. You say you want our school district to adopt geology textbooks that claim that earthquakes are 'the shaking of the Midgard serpent'?'
'Ja. I vøuld like før yøu tø teach der cøntrøversy.'"

Nathan Gardels: Stiglitz: The Fall of Wall Street Is to Market Fundamentalism What the Fall of the Berlin Wall Was to Communism

Nathan Gardels: Stiglitz: The Fall of Wall Street Is to Market Fundamentalism What the Fall of the Berlin Wall Was to Communism:

"In this sense, the fall of Wall Street is for market fundamentalism what the fall of the Berlin Wall was for communism -- it tells the world that this way of economic organization turns out not to be sustainable. In the end, everyone says, that model doesn't work. This moment is a marker that the claims of financial market liberalization were bogus."


Can I get an "Amen!"?

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"Major bank failures? Financial fraud and greed? Political ineptitude? We're seeing these factors play out now in the financial industry, but we saw the same thing 20 years ago, in the biggest scandal of McCain's career."

Chocolate bar giving away cake in just a few minutes

Police chief cites need for safety; new storm strikes | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Police chief cites need for safety; new storm strikes | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"As the area endured another spate of potentially damaging thunderstorms a day after Hurricane Ike ravaged the area, Houston officials announced an overnight curfew for the entire city starting at 9 p.m. tonight."

damn. guess i won't be going to the bar tonight after all.

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"And four months ago, a Wasilla blogger, Sherry Whitstine, who chronicles the governor's career with an astringent eye, answered her phone to hear an assistant to the governor on the line, she said.

'You should be ashamed!' Ivy Frye, the assistant, told her. 'Stop blogging. Stop blogging right now!'"

Mayberry Machiavellis

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly:

"Whether McCain runs a relentlessly negative, substance-free campaign has nothing to do with his proposal for extra debates. If McCain wanted to be an honorable candidate, he could be an honorable candidate, whether his opponent is a Senate colleague or a total stranger. Building a rapport is not a prerequisite for honest campaigning -- character, integrity, and respect for the political process are prerequisites for honest campaigning."

news from me - ARCHIVES

news from me - ARCHIVES:

"Many years ago, I attended a lecture by a man named Akio Morita, who may well have been the smartest person to ever be in the same room as me. (He was the co-founder of Sony.) He said — this is not an exact quote but it's close — 'The thing that will eventually doom much of American business is that your executives pay no price for failure. You can become CEO of a corporation, do everything wrong, drive your company into the ground and then retire and buy several mansions with the money they will pay you for doing this.'"

How an AMERICAblog reader asked John and Sarah real questions at a photo opp today. Palin notes that Stevens is under indictment.

How an AMERICAblog reader asked John and Sarah real questions at a photo opp today. Palin notes that Stevens is under indictment.:

"McCain worked his way up to me and Cat and as I shook his hand, I asked, 'Sir, I respect your service but, why were you against the GI bill?' Senator McCain, paused, he looked a bit surprised at the question and then he said, 'Nice to meet you.' I repeated the question and he repeated his non-answer. He quickly worked his way down the line. So much for straight-talk!"

Space City Gamelan at Discovery Green

Debate: 'Behavioural economics: is it such a big deal?' by Pete Lunn | Prospect Magazine September 2008 issue 150

Debate: 'Behavioural economics: is it such a big deal?' by Pete Lunn | Prospect Magazine September 2008 issue 150: "Meanwhile, a revolution is under way in economic thought. Behavioural economics is no bell or whistle on the contraption of traditional economics; it is a big departure which will deliver a revolutionary new way of understanding the world. The founding assumptions of orthodox, neoclassical economics—that people can be thought of as rational, selfish and independent—are collapsing under the weight of empirical refutations."

I stopped going to my economics class.
The one I had left to graduate.
The assumptions were so asinine,
so perverse as to be ridiculous -
but for me infuriatingly ridiculous
sure b follows a but when yr looking at
some monstrous hybrid of c and d and calling
it a you can't be sure b is coming along right quick...
anyway,
classic economics pisses me off.

Rant: Take Your Greasy Fingers Off The Reboot Button, Hollywood!

Rant: Take Your Greasy Fingers Off The Reboot Button, Hollywood!:

"But anyway, the idea behind CIOE was to make things simpler and more friendly to new readers. And at first, this worked reasonably well. Creators like Frank Miller and John Byrne put their stamp on the old-school DC superheroes, and everybody had a clear backstory. Until each new batch of creators wanted to put their own stamp on the characters, and you ended up with things like: 'Hawkman is a Native American Egyptian archeologist from outer space.'"

The other day in the back room of the candy store I was giving a brief history lesson on the DC universes and all I could say about Hawkman is that there would have to be a separate class to cover him. Seriously.

So, the crazy thing is that there are at least 4 multi-verses, right?
The DCU proper, The Animated DCU, Smallville DCU, and our actual universe.
See, the DCU proper is the only one that has gone through the crises. So the other universes must represent other multi-verses. I suppose there could just be two multi-verses. The one with the crises and the one without.
eh, see...
go faux complexity...

Urban Surprise: More Bicyclists Means Fewer Accidents | LiveScience

Urban Surprise: More Bicyclists Means Fewer Accidents | LiveScience:

"'It appears that motorists adjust their behavior in the presence of increasing numbers of people bicycling because they expect or experience more people cycling,' said Julie Hatfield, an injury expert from the university."

Join me! I am afraid I am becoming a bike evangelist...
I regularly reflect
on how much better
my life has become
on bicycle

Exclusive: David Cronenberg Knows What Defamer Is And Still Lets Us Interview Him

Exclusive: David Cronenberg Knows What Defamer Is And Still Lets Us Interview Him:

"CRONENBERG: People don't pay enough attention to the body. My understanding of life is very existential. I think that we are our bodies. There's nothing else, and when we die, that's it. No afterlife. I'm very anti-religious because religion tends to disembody you. There's an emphasis on your spirit, or where you'll be when your body's gone, and that's misleading. I think the world would be a better place if it we admit that's not the case."

Palin on Guns

well, we agree on one thing...


Palin has also endorsed an insurrectionist interpretation of the Second Amendment. In February of this year, she signed Alaska on to a multi-state amicus brief authored by the State of Texas in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller. The brief reads, in part: "The Framers were understandably wary of standing armies and the powers of a potentially oppressive government ... The introductory clause [of the Second Amendment], properly understood, confirms the primary benefit of the operational clause -- a citizenry capable of defending its rights by force, when all other means have failed, against any future oppression."

fact checking palin

Just to reiterate what others have said: Congress' requirement that funds be spent on that bridge (aka the 'earmark') were removed before Sarah Palin became governor. She was therefore in no position to tell Congress anything about the bridge, one way or the other. During her campaign, she said she supported funding for the bridge. Brad Plumer, citing the Anchorage Dialy News via Nexis:
"5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?
Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist