Sunday, October 31, 2010

Ken Buck, sick and wrong

Senate Races - Election 2010 - The New York Times



So, I'm looking at the map (the House view is even more of a Halloween scare) and stunned that Colorado is still in play for the Republicans in light of Buck's extremist (and, crucially, wrong-headed) views.

The Democrats will, in all likelihood, lose the House in a few days, but I can't believe the people of Colorado would elect this guy.  Nor do I believe people are really going to turn out to elect Angle out of Nevada.

RIP Theodore C. Sorensen

Theodore C. Sorensen, 82, Kennedy Counselor, Dies - NYTimes.com:

Sorenson and Kennedy in the Oval Office, via NY Times

Theodore C. Sorensen, who was a close adviser and counselor to John F. Kennedy for 11 years, writing words and giving voice to ideas that shaped the president’s image and legacy, died Sunday in New York. He was 82 and lived in Manhattan.
When I was young, there were still WWI veterans marching in parades. The WWII veterans today now look like those few, white-haired Great War vets of my youth.

Now, the early 1960s feel like they are starting to recede into the sort of history where, since many of the folks who were shaping events in that time are no longer living, we can't get direct, first-hand accounts; it's a different kind of history than, say, the Reagan era, which plenty of folks alive and contributing to society weren't born until after, but there are still plenty of folks still around who remember and can give eye-witness accounts.

Program Alert: Sherlock on PBS 10/31

Masterpiece | PBS

Halloween and all, I know everybody's busy, so don't forget to set your DVRs or whatever you need to do to catch Sherlock on PBS tonight.

via PBS.org

It's a Neilalien Halloween

Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog - Archive - October 2010

via Neilalien.com
Like comic books? Not following Neilalien yet? Halloween is an excellent time to start. Your source for news of the Strange.

Halloween's as good a time as any to start

ExecutedToday.com Executed Today’s Third Annual Report: Third Time Lucky:


Somehow, since our Halloween 2007 launch, the grim furies have scourged this blog along for three full years of fresh ghoulish content every single one of 1,096 straight days. Talk about rigor mortis.

Three out of three heads in baskets agree: Halloween is the best time to start following Executed Today.

Shuler: House Needs A Moderate Like Me

NC Rep. Shuler considers run for House Speaker:

Heath Shuler's serious face is serious.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler said Thursday he would consider running for speaker of the U.S. House if he's re-elected because the chamber needs a more moderate leader.
I almost did a spit-take when I heard this the other day.  Shuler is one of those guys you look at and wonder why he's a Democrat, blue dog to the bone

@jazzdab's Halloween Playlist

The Ghostbuster Family at #Fuquay Fall Festival

Snapped this picture of the Ghostbuster family while riding the kiddie train through town. Best costumes we saw yesterday!

The Ghostbusters at #Fuquay Fall Festival

NC GOP: "You want to be taxed by a Mexican?!"

Tom (Art Pope's Lackey) Murry's blatantly racist mailer | BlueNC:

Detail from mailer, via BlueNC

Tom Murry v. Chris Heagarty, a race dominated by mailers and ads from Americans for Prosperity and other third party (i.e. Art Pope) groups attacking Chris Heagarty. Chris has defended himself well, but nobody should have to be subject to racism and cultural insensitivity.
The latest ad, sent by the NC GOP Executive Committee supports Murry by attacking Heagarty for raising taxes. Of course, he hasn't, but it's not the lie from the GOP that matters here. We're used to that. No.
It's the racism.
Stay classy, Republicans, stay classy.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

AZ Immigration Law: Socialized Malevolence For Private Profit

Ghost in the Machine:

Via Ghost in the Machine

Even accustomed as I am now to stories of how money in politics has completely broken our republic -- and why in holy hell do we countenance a private prison system in America anyway? -- this is truly vile.
See also: Pennsylvania rocked by 'jailing kids for cash' scandal from 2009.

The Oud (Not The Ood)

Yorgo Bacanos | PRI's The World:

This Not That

The Global Hit today pays homage to the oud and, in particular, to one of the great Oud masters, the late Yorgo Bacanos.
Heard on the commute home Friday. Like the sound of the oud.

Related:
 

Two Videos To Watch Before November 2nd (If You Haven't Already)

Both have been linked all over already, but I only just got around to watching them. The only people who haven't seen them yet are probably Republicans, who would only be visiting here by accident, most likely, but it feels sort of like a patriotic duty to share the messages. Maybe there are some dispirited Democrats out there who haven't resolved to vote yet and can be encouraged.



C.J. Wilson: Laughs At The Thought Of Sniffing Glue

It's been a while since I posted anything Straight Edge related. Just caught my eye that the Rangers have a Straight Edge kid on the roster, pitcher C.J. Wilson, who rooms with former bad-boy, now Born Again, Josh Hamilton. I'll have to listen to see if any Minor Threat tunes make their way onto the Fox broadcast as a result.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Cakepie: We're Approaching Some Kind Of Tipping Point

Pie meets cake in The Pumpple Cake Baking Bites:

Too much? Or, not enough?


I like pie. I like cake. I have to admit that I have never felt a strong desire to combine the two desserts before. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market out there for that sort of thing, which is why the Flying Monkey Bakery in Philadelphia invented the Pumpple Cake. This slightly awkwardly named dessert consists of two pies, a pumpkin pie and an apple pie, baked into two cakes, a vanilla cake and a chocolate cake. The cakes are stacked as they would be in a regular layer cake and whole thing is topped off with very generous amounts of buttercream. When finished, the cake weighs in at 15 pounds, stands more than a foot tall and will feed a pretty large crowd.

Have we neared the end of this mash-up-everything-in-one trend yet? Not every food needs to be baked into every other food, just like not every internet meme ever needs to be remixed into one image every other day. We can enjoy things separately, too.

Or, y'know, somebody could dip this cakepie in batter, deep-fry it, and serve it on a stick at the State Fair.

ABC Hires Breitbart To Fill Stossel Void

Failing Upward: Breitbart To Be Featured in ABC's 2010 Election Coverage | Media Matters for America:
Asked about Breitbart's history of unethical behavior and misinformation, ABC News' David Ford told Media Matters: 'He will be one of many voices on our air, including Bill Adair of Politifact. If Andrew Breitbart says something that is incorrect, we have other voices to call him on it.'
I can't  ... I mean, what the ... ? Saying you have other voices to call him out when he lies is like hiring someone who takes a dump on the floor every time he opens his mouth, then saying, "we've got someone to follow him around with a pooper-scooper." You don't need a pooper-scooper if you just hire people who don't crap themselves.

NC Man Curses Out, Spits On Muslim Woman In Wal-Mart

Muslim woman says man cursed, spat at her in Walmart :: WRAL.com:

Bigoted Jackwad James Currin, Jr.

OXFORD, N.C. — A 66-year-old man is facing ethnic intimidation charges after he allegedly verbally abused a female Muslim-American customer at an Oxford Walmart on Tuesday. The woman is speaking out and says she doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else.

The 31-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified for safety purposes, said she went to Walmart to buy a carton of milk. Instead, she says, James Currin Jr., 66, confronted her and asked: “Hey, are you Muslim?” When she said yes, Currin began swearing, spitting at her and told her to go back “wherever you came from,” she said.
 
I have a suggestion as to where Mr. Currin can go.  

Mom Arms Bullied Child

Mom Arraigned: Mom Charged With Sending Son To School With Weapons Is Arraigned - Courant.com:
An attorney for a 38-year-old woman charged with sending her son to school with weapons said he and his client will talk to school authorities and police about the bullying that prompted the boy to arm himself.

Attorney Sydney T. Schulman, who spoke after Sylvia Mojica's arraignment Friday at Superior Court, said he will also ask Hartford police if they are following up on complaints Mojica made about the high-school-aged teenagers who had been harassing her 12-year-old son.

'She had reported this problem to the police before,' he said.
Look, we all know the right answer isn't to give your kid a knife and BB gun to take to school; that's just asking for trouble. But, what is the right answer when the police haven't been any help and the school can't do anything?  

Menino: "Cowards kill. Cowards use guns ..."

Four dead, including toddler, in Boston shooting - CNN:
Dan Conley, the district attorney, told reporters that this was not a random shooting. The individuals were found lying in the street -- one of them naked.

'Cowards kill. Cowards use guns to settle their scores. Cowards hide,' a visibly upset Mayor Thomas Menino said at a news conference Tuesday.
Menino is known for putting his foot in his mushmouth. But, he's pretty to the point here. And spot on.

Glasgow Kiss of the Week for Friday, October 29, 2010

Cryptonaut-in-Exile's
Glasgow Kiss of the Week
Award Winner


Murderously Homophobic Arkansan 
Ex-School Board Member Clint McCance

It was a crowded field this week, my hardest choice so far. Tim Profitt seemed to have this thing sewn up when he curb stomped a woman and then had the fucking nerve to ask her to apologize to him. In any other week, this guy would win hands down. But, along came Mr. McCance, to claim the honor. 

The kids at Yale who with their "No Means Yes and Yes Means Anal" chant would've also been finalists but that story broke last week and I had just missed it.  Every shiftless, dissembling Republican who participated in a debate this week also should get a nod.

The Gloves Are Off In This Campaign (Because The Jack Boots Were Already On)

“Rand Paul Stomp” Ad Compares Violence to Danger Posed by Paul’s Proposals | Blue Wave News:
The spot makes dramatic use of the video, using its soundtrack as the only sound, alternating between a few seconds of it and a black screen with stark white print detailing frightening things that could easily result from Paul’s proposed actions and policies: “The Rand Paul STOMP – End student loans.” “The Rand Paul STOMP – End mine safety laws.”

“End breast cancer research.”

“End protections for the disabled.”

“Dump the Civil Rights Act.”

“Pay a $2000 Medicare deductible.”

“Pay a 23% sales tax on EVERYTHING.”

All of these come from things that Rand Paul has proposed or talked about during the campaign.

Lefty Huckster

Bragg's Emporium - USA Milkman, Stone Blue T-Shirt

Clickthrough for the song.
Image via Bragg's Emporium


I must be a sucker; I want the shirt.

RIP James "Danno" MacArthur

James MacArthur, Who Booked ’Em as Danno, Dies at 72 - NYTimes.com:


For 11 of the 12 years that “Hawaii Five-O” first ran on CBS, Mr. MacArthur, as Detective Danny Williams chased thieves, hit men, swindlers, spies and assorted loonies. His boss was Detective Steve McGarrett, played by Jack Lord, the straitlaced, tight-lipped head of a small, elite police team determined to keep the idyllic islands from turning into a modern Wild West.

#FF @robdelaney


The Democrats are inexcusably, shamefully awful. The Republicans are considerably worse. #USAMon Oct 25 20:17:07 via web


Word.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

That, My Friends, Is An Ugly Monkey

New monkey puzzles scientists: why does it sneeze in the rain? | Analysis & Opinion |:

New, Ugly Monkey (Michael Jackson-ish?)

A new species of monkey has been found in northern Myanmar, puzzling scientists because of a snub nose that means they are often heard “sneezing in the rain”.

Why would anyone want — let alone evolve – nostrils that fill up with water?

Spiritual/Political Chess

Dalai Lama talks of retirement - CNN.com:

HHDL XIV via CNN

'I'm also a human being. ... Retirement is also my right,' the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet told CNN's Hala Gorani in Miami, Florida, this week.
This article doesn't go into the ramifications of the decision, but it certainly smells like he's preparing to change the succession process in order to prevent China from pulling another Panchen Lama disappear-and-replace on Tibetan Buddhism.

So, if I'm reading this right, they do away with the pretense of discovering a Dalai Lama reincarnate (mumbo-jumbo) and essentially make the role a political office in name as well as practice. I think this makes sense but must be troubling to Tibetan Buddhists in that reincarnation is so central to their religion and this would seem to undermine that importance.

In any event, the 14th has done as much as any individual in the 20th-21st centuries to promote non-violence -- he's right there with MLK and Ghandi -- and is certainly deserving of a chance to live his own life. I wonder what thought he's given, if any, to allowing Tibetans to elect the 15th? Would anything make the Chinese more apoplectic?

Bolivia Poised To Export More Than Marching Powder?

Bolivia poised to power world's electric cars - CNN.com:
Lithium, if you're unfamiliar with it, is the lightest known metal and it has a number of uses. It can run your Blackberry, power your iPod and even treat depression. But its greatest function could be yet to come -- its ability to potentially wean the world's cars off petroleum, as it powers the first generation of mass-produced, mass-marketed electric vehicles.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the leading science organization providing information on the natural resources, the Salar de Uyuni may contain 28 percent of the world's supply of lithium.

Always Nitpicking (State Movies Edition)

Pics from Blame It On The Voices:

Detail from Blame It On The Voices


Not bad. Not bad at all. I would've gone another way with Florida though. Scarface seems dated and overrated to me; I'd have picked the Marx Brothers' The Cocoanuts there. I like L.A. Confidential or The Maltese Falcon better than Fast Times for California. I know someone who would've insisted on Valley Girl. (You know who you are.) Most of these though are spot on.

RIP S. Neil Fujita

S. Neil Fujita, Innovative Graphic Designer, Dies at 89 - NYTimes.com:


S. Neil Fujita, a graphic designer who used avant-garde painting and photography to create some of the most striking album covers of the 1950s, and who designed the visually arresting book jackets for “In Cold Blood” and “The Godfather,” died on Saturday in Greenport, on the North Fork of Long Island. He was 89.
I had no idea until reading the obituary home many iconic designs were Mr. Fujita's. 

@FeministHulk Has Some More Smashing To Do

Let’s Rethink Masculinity -- In These Times:
Masculinity holds the key to understanding why the gender revolution has stalled. As long as men continue to feel threatened by the possibility of being perceived as wimps and wusses unless they live up to the norms of conventional masculinity, we can expect little economic progress for women.
I'm useless. I read this and the pop ephemera trap I call a brain just puts "Laid" on repeat in my noggin. ♫ Mess around with gender roles, dye my eyes and call me pretty ...

Check The Record, Check The Record, Check The Guy's Track Record

Politicians use PIs to unearth their own skeletons :: WRAL.com:

Spade Gets The Skinny From Cairo,
Old School PI Style

And although candidates know what they did, Torgerson said they also “want to know what the other people can find out. That’s what it really boils down to.”
Wasn't this sort of thing the plot driver for a West Wing episode ages ago? I'm thinking it was during the Edward James Olmos Supreme Court nomination episode(s)?  But a quick google makes it clear I'd need to untangle Dulé Hill results for Psych and I'm too lazy to go that deep into it right now. The point is, this has been standard practice for some time and shouldn't surprise anyone.

#Fuquay Legion Ball Hero

Josh Hamilton: local high school star to MVP - Baseball - NewsObserver.com: I had heard Josh Hamilton was a NC boy, but didn't realize how close to home his roots are. I was living in WI when he was playing ball down here in Fuquay, so I missed all the buzz. I'm still pulling for the Giants in the Series. However, I'll be happy for Mr. Hamilton and local fans if the Rangers pull it off.

The Natural

Ten Years Later: Still No Viable Third Party

cryptonaut-in-exile: Dance With The One That Brung You

Ralph Nader, image via Life

Ten years ago today I was writing about the importance of voting for best candidate in an election, not the one who is considered by the media elites to be the most electable. Every single vote for the less desirable but "electable" candidate is a tool's vote, empowering the gatekeepers to keep drowning out progressive voices. You know what makes candidates electable, then and now? Votes. Not a media network executive's say-so. It's counter-intuitive, I know. We have the example of Perot splitting the right wing and getting Clinton elected, as well as Gore's victory ... errrr, defeat at the hands of the Supreme Court ... errrr, Bush back in 2000. The Green Party, meanwhile, is all but invisible to this day. Pragmatism says, "get behind the guy with slick hair the rubes like the looks of." Pragmatism, at best, gets us slick-haired rube bait. We have the communication tools at hand to disseminate the information people need to determine which candidate is the best.

Ten years later, we've got the Tea Baggers getting their lunatics nominated by ignoring the message that extremists can't win. The wrong people have figured out the power of voting their values. I hope progressives are paying attention. If gullible maroons with corrupt, misguided, and dangerous values can get clown shoes like Christine O'Donnell nominated, think what committed, intelligent, and principled progressives could do. Of course, it would help to have some real money behind the effort. The Citizens United decision has tilted the playing field so steeply in favor of moneyed interests, we're going to have to work twice as hard for the same results.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Is Dichen Lachman Dropping Hints? T'Pring?

Yfrog Image : yfrog.com/087opfj - "Shared" by Dichenlachman

T'Pring?
Did I miss some Star Trek casting news?  Or am I just leaping to conclusions?

"Fossilized Vehicle" Or Not, I'm Interested

Mark Twain's long-lost play, Is He Dead?, at Deep Dish | Theater | Independent Weekly:

via IndyWeek

Ives and Clemens' wordplay is as decidedly old-school as the plot. When a character comments on how polite another painter seemed, Millet rejoins, 'Of course he made a good impression. He's an Impressionist.' Ba-dum-bum. And repeatedly, Marc Williams' direction seems to invite audience response. Thom Gradisher's all-but-mustache-twirling version of bad guy Bastien Andre did have Saturday's audience members hissing at his early asides that, literally, ended in the trademark mwah-hah-hahs of the Villain's Laugh.
I'm ardently Twain-o-philic, but this review was meh enough to put me off the idea making this a must-see. It'll have to be one of those if-I-luck-into-free-ticket-for-a-night-the-missus-isn't-working deals.  

Poor Kid

Four-Year-Old Boy Shoots Mother With Shotgun - Seattle News - The Daily Weekly:

image via Pun.org

The woman told detectives that she didn't hear the boy loading the weapon because she had her back turned and was talking on the phone. She also said she had no idea how he got access to the shotgun.

Patton Oswalt On The Bully Entourage

Patton Oswalt | YOU CAN HELP IT GET BETTER:
I’ve been watching a lot of these “It Gets Better” videos online. I’m glad they exist. I’m glad people are making them. I’d bet, if you could do some sort of poll, you’d find out that saying, “It gets better…” to a younger version of yourself is something that a majority of people would opt to do. The bullied and the bullies.

I was both. Bullied, and then a bully.
Well said.

Out of Africa

Found: The oldest modern human outside of Africa | A Blog About History - History News:



Finding such an ancient example of a modern human in China would drastically alter the time line of human migration. The find may also mean that modern humans in China were mingling—and possibly even interbreeding—with other human species for 50,000 or 60,000 years. 

Zombie Tea Party Sign Ideas Needed

PLZ ZOMBIFY FOR ZOMBIE!
A buddy has asked for some help coming up with signs to go with his Halloween costume: Tea Party Zombie. I had a few suggestions. Got any others? Comments are open.

cdogzilla's TEA PARTY ZOMBIE signs:

ZOMBIE NO EVOLVE MONKEY! AQUA BUDDHA MAKE ZOMBIE!

ZOMBIE NO SEE HALF-MONKEY, HALF-ZOMBIE AROUND!

YOU CURB 'EM*, WE'LL EAT THE BRAINZ
*YOU SAW AMERICAN HISTORY X, RIGHT?

ZOMBIE WANT EAT ANITA HILL'S BRAINZ, SHE NOT AVAILABLE, LEFT VOICEMAIL.

ZOMBIES EAT FETUS BRAINZ, THIS NO ABORTION! BABBY JUST BORN ZOMBIE

ZOMBIES WANT SEE REAL OBAMA BIRTH CERTIFICATE, THEN EAT BRAINZ

ZOMBIE NO EAT OBAMA BRAINZ, ZOMBIE HAZ KENYAN BRAINZ ALLERGY

ZOMBIE NO LIKE DEATH PANELS, LIKE FRESH BRAINZ

KEEP GOV'T OUT HEALTHCARE, LET ZOMBIES IN

ZOMBIES LOVE 2ND AMENDMENT, BULLETS TICKLE ZOMBIE

IT TRUE: O'DONNELL NO WITCH! SHE ZOMBIE.

PRIVATIZE YOU SOCIAL SECURITY, ZOMBIE NO CARE!

ZOMBIES HEART YOU JEEBUS GOD, HE DIE COME BACK TOO!

ZOMBIE THINK DEATH TAX UNFAIR!

OBAMA MAKE ZOMBIE PAY DEATH TAX ... EVERY DAY!

Good News, Bad News

In its biggest foreign market, BMW gets skilled workers for less:

Image via Washington Post


But the price of having a more globally competitive workforce means more in the United States could fall well short of the middle-class living standards that manufacturing workers once could expect. Wages adjusted for inflation have declined for these workers since 2003.

At General Motors and Chrysler, new hires make $14 an hour, or half the amount that existing workers take home. Likewise, at the BMW plant, which is not unionized, new workers earn a little more than half of what those hired earlier make. Some still seemed stunned by their change of circumstances. But they are almost uniformly grateful for the opportunity.
Jobs are good. We need jobs and lots more of them. So, BMW outsourcing jobs to the US is indeed good news for unemployed Americans. But good luck having a middle class without unions.

Hey, as long as the wages on manufacturing jobs are being pushed down closer and closer to the minimum wage, maybe if we elect enough Republicans, we can do away with the minimum wage as well and have tons more jobs in the low single digit dollars per hour range?

Counter The Anti-Union Hype: Teachers Edition

The Answer Sheet - The real effect of teachers union contracts:
Out of these 10 states, only one (Virginia) has an average rank above the median, while four are in the bottom 10, and seven are in the bottom 15. These data make it very clear that states without binding teacher contracts are not doing better, and the majority are actually among the lowest performers in the nation.

In contrast, nine of the 10 states with the highest average ranks are high coverage states, including Massachusetts, which has the highest average score on all four tests.

If anything, it seems that the presence of teacher contracts in a state has a positive effect on achievement.

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss

ExecutedToday.com 1659: The first two Boston Martyrs:

John Winthrop, Puritan. Image via Wikipedia


October 27 is International Religious Freedom Day, dating to the execution this date in 1659 of Quakers Marmaduke Stephenson and William Robinson on Boston Commons. They were two of the four Boston Martyrs, Quakers whose necks were stretched in Massachusetts for failing to either keep quiet or stay out of town.
Our rich history of Religious Tolerance.

They Continued The Rally IN THEIR MINDS

PvPonline | Archive | Garden of the Endless Rally:
via PVP

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Back In The Day

The Long View


Wow. Blast from the past here. I've been backfilling the blogspot with some of my old Triptych Cryptic posts and found one of my first links to another blog is still active. Not many of those vintage 2000 blogs are.  The archives on the this "new" site go back to 2002, but I started reading back in 2000. Somehow the bookmark got lost or buried so I haven't visited in years. But thanks to the archives, he's found again. Hats off to you, Mr. Reilly. Keep on truckin'. (No RSS feed though and I don't use bookmarks anymore ...)

eBooks Won't Have These

Forgotten Bookmarks




via Matt B

Prehistory Trapped In Amber

Ancient Insects Found Encased in Amber: Big Pic : Discovery News:

Image via Discovery

Oct. 26, 2010 -- The discovery of a trove of insects and arachnids preserved for millions of years in amber raises new questions about how long India was isolated before it joined the Asian continent, researchers said in a new study.

Shuttlesworth For Three ...


#rayallen with his first 3. He will overtake Miller's record this year.Tue Oct 26 23:51:27 via Twitter for Android


He's been a great shooter for so long, I shouldn't be surprised it will (or ought to) happen this season. I'll have "He Got Game" cued up for when it happens.

RIP Alex Anderson

R.I.P. Alex Anderson, creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle | TV | Newswire | The A.V. Club:

"Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat."

Alex Anderson—who created the cartoon characters Bullwinkle, Rocky The Flying Squirrel, and Dudley Do-Right—has died. He was 90. Anderson came up with Rocky and Bullwinkle et al. with his childhood friend and business partner Jay Ward, after Anderson approached Ward with the idea of doing an animated TV show.

It's Not Complicated, You Just Don't Answer The Door

robots.net - Bee Solves Travelling Salesman Problem:

This Bee Is A Yastrzemski Fan via robots.net

Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London and Royal Holloway have discovered that bees learn to fly the shortest possible route between flowers even if they discover the flowers in a different order. This 'Travelling Salesman Problem' often takes supercomputers days to solve, but Bees are now the first animals proven to do it.

Thirty Cents Is Not The Real Problem Here

Florida governor hopefuls flub minimum wage figure | Reuters:
MIAMI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - In recession-hit Florida, where economic gloom and high unemployment have been central to the Nov. 2 election campaign, the two candidates for governor have been given low marks for not being able to specify the state's minimum wage.

Their ignorance of the exact figure, in a state saddled with the fourth highest jobless rate in the nation, came to light on Monday night during a nationally televised debate between Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink.
That's a little embarrassing for these two guys, but they were only off by thirty cents. I can cut them some slack for that.  The real embarrassment here, the more damning ignorance that goes beyond these two candidates, is the fact that the minimum wage is only $7.25! That's the national embarrassment; to be ignorant of the fact that's a demeaning, inadequate number is the real shame. $7.25 * 40 (hours/week) * 52 weeks = Gross Annual Salary $15,080.00. 

Cherry Blossoms


in history 10.26.44 - During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Japanese deployed kamikaze suicide bombers against US warships for 1st time.Mon Oct 25 19:05:04 via HootSuite


Related: The Hoodoo Gurus, "I Was A Kamikaze Pilot."

Cowards And Criminals

MoveOn Supporter Brutally Attacked by Rand Paul Supporter - Joshua Green - Politics - The Atlantic:

The Rand Paul-Jack Conway debate may have been staid, but things were not so outside the debate. A Kentucky reader sends word that according to the local Fox affiliate, a young woman affiliated with MoveOn.org was brutally attacked--stomped in the head--outside the debate by a Rand Paul supporter. The story led the local newscast. [video linked in article]
Horrifying.

Open Letter To Joggers of North Carolina

Dear Early Morning Jogging Guy,

I applaud you, really I do. Your dedication to fitness is commendable. Not even this morning's pouring rain could keep you inside.

However, if you don't put some reflective tape on your shoes, shorts and/or t-shirt, you're going to get fucking killed. At 6:30 AM, in the dark, and rain, at unlit intersections, you there with your black shorts and dark red shirt are invisible until you're about eight feet from my headlights. By that time, it's too late. Make yourself visible before somebody runs you over, please.

Also, if the state, county, town, or whoever could get some lane lines painted or marked with reflectors, that would be helpful.

Regards,
Chris

Upgrade

Springfield Punx: WHOsdays; The Cybermen!: Tuesday is Whosday.

Cyberman via springfield punx
I think I've found my next facebook profile picture. Clickthrough for the full image and alternate versions.

Bonus Simpsonsized Who today as well. I've grabbed five of the eleven from a group drawing:

Detail from "The Eleven Doctors" via Deviantart

Assessing The Van Dammage

Van Damme and the Action Stars:

Van Damme image via Mubi.com

We’re late enough into the history of the modern action movie that it's possible to establish lineage—Statham can be traced back to fellow balding wise-ass Willis, and even Van Damme has produced some heirs, like Scott Adkins, the English mixed-martial-artist with Yevgeni Bauer-ian eyes—and late enough into Van Damme’s career to see that there aren’t many clear lineages leading to him, except maybe Bruce Lee. What Van Damme takes from Lee is a certain parading of finesse (and in that sense he’s more of a Hong Kong-style acrobat than an American-style action-movie tough guy, his signature kicks and splits taking the place of catchphrases), but he builds on that by extending the same self-driven precision to a vast catalogue of ordinary movements: crawls, slouches, shudders, pratfalls, shrugs. Equally athletic and quotidian—in short: a total physical perfomer.
I think it's entirely possible this entire exercise was overwrought. Possibly an artifact of JCVD pomo credentials?  And yet, there is something sad, clownish, and operatic about the acting style of the Muscles from Brussels.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Strafed

Strafe Gaming Lounge Launches in Raleigh, NC Suburb | TeamCTF

Image via TeamCTF


Buzz for Fuquay's new gaming lounge.

Caprio Is Chafe(e)d

WH: Obama didn't endorse R.I. Dem 'out of respect' for Chafee - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
President Obama declined to endorse a candidate in the Rhode Island governor's race out of 'respect' for independent candidate Lincoln Chafee, the White House acknowledged Monday.
Democratic nominee Frank Caprio lashed out at Obama after he found out the president would not be endorsing him during his visit to the Ocean State on Monday, telling the president to 'shove it.'
I remember how the right-wing attack dogs savaged Chafee, the rarest of the rare, a moderate Republican. Caprio's not exactly being classy about Obama's loyalty to Chafee here. I don't know anything about Caprio or the GOP candidate in that election, but have to admit I'm pulling for Chafee now.

Learn Something New Every Day

Gay City News > Archives > Gay City News > Features > Forget Mehlman — What About Lincoln?:

Lincoln and Speed  image via Gay City News


While the gay media has been awash in unwarranted hosannas over the recent coming-out declaration by former Republican National Committee chair Ken Mehlman — who has not apologized for running the most homophobic presidential campaign in US history — the LGBT press has been ignoring an infinitely more significant development under way with vastly more important implications for the Republican Party: the increasing acceptance by historians that the loving heart of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator and the first GOP president, found its natural amorous passions overwhelmingly directed toward those of his own sex.
This article's old, Mehlman's not been in the news for a while, but I think this is the first time I've seen this story.

Crocs On A Plane

Extinction Countdown: 20 die in air disaster after smuggled crocodile escapes on a plane: People, this is what happens when you board a flight without first checking to see if Samuel L. Jackson is on the passenger manifest.

Image via Scientific American



Follow The Money

Donation to Rove-tied group sparks Gold's Gym revolt - 2010 Elections News | Midterm Elections: Senators, Governors - Salon.com:
Four Gold's Gyms franchises in the San Francisco Bay Area will leave the Gold's brand after 22 years following the revelation that the owner of Gold's gave $2 million to American Crossroads, the conservative outfit that is funding candidates who are unfriendly to gay rights. 

Working For The Working Man

Trumka puts AFL-CIO in middle of every issue: Profile of AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka.

#Fuquay Photography

Apache on the Firing Range | Reader Scrapbook | Air & Space Magazine

Detail from Sgt. Wayne Schutts's Photo

Another Joel Pett Cartoon Teaser

blog-22-october-standalone-prod_affiliate-79.gif (600 411)

via Jorn Barger (Robot Wisdom)
You've got the punchline this time, clickthrough for the set-up.

Anita Hill's Voicemail

- Joel Pett Cartoon - Kentucky.com

Detail from a Joel Pett 'toon. via Jorn (Robot Wisdom)
As usual, chase the link for the punchline.
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