Clearly, many Las Vegas drivers must already have one of these. Be sure to read the customer reviews.

I wonder how one gets a C9 into a chaos theory? And wouldn't three Bauhaus be Love and Rockets?

Cretaceous period spider and web, preserved in amber.

Actual headline. I think this story pretty much sums up American culture.

Well, shit. I just found out that the Rapture is tomorrow and nobody told me. And I don't have anything to wear.

Ok, so, Obama's getting shit from the right wing for ending an expensive missile defense plan that may or may not have worked, and was to protect Eastern Europe from Iran, which has never threatened Eastern Europe. He's replacing it with a naval-based plan that could actually, you know, get close to Iran.

Of course, the real reason the right wing is pissed off is that the Eastern European shield pissed off Russia. And obviously, pissing off Russia is excellent foreign strategy. *boggle*

Is anyone really afraid of Russian missiles these days? Putin isn't a madman. He's an oligarchical supporter of corrupt Russian corporations and the Russian mob (two entities that are getting harder to distinguish from each-other). What those people want is to make money. Killing tens of millions of people and making large stretches of the Earth uninhabitable in a nuclear holocaust - really bad for profit.

But, really, this post is just a setup for this classic Kids in the Hall skit that's been making the rounds:

One of my pet political issues is mass transit funding. Funding which Congressional Republicans fight pretty hard against, considering it too expensive, while apparently pretending that eight-lane superhighways just grow out of the ground. Hence, I found this rather ironic:

Protesters who attended Saturday’s Tea Party rally in Washington found a new reason to be upset: Apparently they are unhappy with the level of service provided by the subway system.

Rep. Kevin Brady called for a government investigation into whether the government-run subway system adequately prepared for this weekend’s rally to protest government spending and government services.

While I've encountered some asshole cops from time to time, I'm really glad I don't live in this town:

JERICHO, Ark. – It was just too much, having to return to court twice on the same day to contest yet another traffic ticket, and Fire Chief Don Payne didn't hesitate to tell the judge what he thought of the police and their speed traps.

The response from cops? They shot him. Right there in court.

Just my $.02 worth on why Ted Kennedy mattered.

The man was clearly a flawed human being, in his personal life. Of course, having your three older brothers all killed violently (one in WWII, and the other two, of course, assassinated) probably doesn't help with all that.

But for decades, he's always stood up for what he believed in where it counts, on the Senate floor. During the Reagan era, when "liberal" became a dirty word in this country, the Clinton era, when "triangulation" and moderation were seen as the only ways Democrats could win, and the Bush era when Democrats who voted against the administration were called everything up to and including traitors, Kennedy not only always voted his conscience, but wasn't afraid to take the lead on pushing progressive legislation time and time again.

And I hope a few of our current Democratic Senators find some inspiration in that, and don't piss away the best opportunity in a generation to get some progressive bills passed.

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" in flowchart form.

A Unitarian minister blasts the right-wing "death panel" talking point (and those who spread it) in a post entitled Hey! Mr. & Mrs. “Real” America, Pardon My Indelicate and Unprofessional Language, But Fuck You and Your “Death Panels” (an impolite sermon for impolite times)

Sarah Palin's farewell speech, as interpreted by the Master of the Spoken Word, William Shatner:

Fortunately, all of my friends can actually use correct grammar. So this youtube video doesn't apply to any of them.

According to wunderground.com,

Right now in Las Vegas: 105°F
Right now in Long Beach: 67.4°F

Convergence really can't come soon enough.

Apparently, one vote for moving North.

So, there's been a lot of talk lately that part of the reason Obama hasn't so far kept his campaign promise to end Don't Ask Don't Tell is that the conservative-leaning military leadership is opposed to it. So let me tell you how thrilled I am to hear that a Republican is being appointed Secretary of the Army.

Add to that the fact that I'm really tired of Democratic politicians reinforcing the meme that only Republicans can be "serious" about defense policy.

Just read a good piece on slate.com[1] that references the torture scenes from Star Trek: TNG episode "Chain of Command, Part II", which has long been one of my favorite episodes in the entire ST canon. It's somewhat unsettling, thinking about it now, that 15 years later we find that our government has been playing the role of the Cardassians.

[1] Warning: contains a scene spoiler of the new Star Trek film.

With the economy in shambles and the country in the middle of two wars, thank God Senator Hatch is working hard on the most important issue of the day (and one clearly relevant to the Federal government) - the Bowl Championship Series.

If you or I pulled the stunt Senator Vitter did at an airport, recently, we'd probably be detained for hours.

In a post entitled I suspect that old woman, Jessica Hagy points out:



I never did trust Jessica Fletcher. Even before I saw The Manchurian Candidate.