Politics. Ah fuck, right? Wrong. Sit back down and read the whole fucking thing, or I will personally fantasize about all the sick twisted shit I'd never do to you unless you thought I wasn't capable of it and didn't hear me creeping up behind you, right this very second. That's right, just keep reading...
So, Democratic (Yeah, that's right, bitches) Representative Bud Cramer is out. He's the Congressman from Alabama's 5th District- because we don't have many people in the state(~4.5m), but we have towns (Birmingham) with bigger populations than Alaska- which includes Huntsville. His replacement fuck-ups are Wayne Parker (R) and Parker Griffith (D).
First, here are the issues for Huntsville, which means they're the issues for the vast majority of people in district 5, Defense spending, guns, anti-gays, and defense spending. It's prime Republican territory, and our Democratic representatives tend to be D in name more than policy. (Keeping the Dixiecrat tradition alive? Maybe; but not quite). Defense Spending is huge because of Redstone Arsenal, which is home to Space and Missile Defense Command. 85% of Missile components for the US military go through Huntsville at some point in time. [As an aside: Huntsville is the smartest city in the country. Per capita there are more PhDs here than anywhere else in the US; and this is LARGELY due to the above command and related industries.]
Second, the Candidates:
Wayne Parker - lost to Cramer in 1994 by less than 2000 votes, then lost by an asston in 1996. He was a lobbyist for two Alabama interest groups, for 5 years, and NEITHER of them remember him. In response to questions one referred to him as "this guy", as in "Someone told me this guy did some lobbying for us." Both groups said they didn't even recognize his name! Plus, back in 1994 he said Defense Spending wasn't important for Huntsville and that he thought they could cut some jobs and spending out on Redstone Arsenal. (Remember: Huntsville doesn't exist without Redstone. This is so much the case, that I have an unnerving {somewhat irrational} dislike for Goddard Space Flight Center because a lot of projects from here get yanked and thrown there).
Parker Griffith - Ex-Oncologist {Cancer Doctor, for both of you who don't watch House}, current freshman Dem in State Congress (since 2006). "A" rated by the NRA, doesn't support gay marriage, and says as a Christian he "knows where our values come from". This is the Democrat. THE FUCKING DEMOCRAT!
The facts:
Parker is attacking Parker (That's Wayne v Griffith) because Parker (that's Griffith) was reported by Huntsville Hospital (about as evil a charitable organization as can be) and forced out of their oncology center. Apparently some people thought Griffith (that's Parker) was withholding medication to ease the pain of his cancer patients. There was a report made, which found no fault, malpractice, nor justifiably actionable offense on the part of Parker (that's Griffith, like Andy- who supports Obama, which is possibly how and why PG is a Democrat). So, Parker (that's Wayne) has been running shit on the air, backed MASSIVELY by the GOP's financing committees, about how Parker's (that's Griffith's) patients were horribly abused. {Good place to note that the first version of the ad had to be yanked because it was illegal- it was inaccurately citing and referencing the report. 2 of the 3 local stations it was airing on yanked it until it was redone in accordance with FUCKING COMMON 11th GRADE Essay ACCURACY, not to mention decency. Oh, an Kudos Channel 19 for being douches and refusing to pull the ad, because irrationally justifying slander/libel from one side over the other is a great way to encourage accurate reporting and some modicum of journalistic "balance", Station Owners}.
Full understanding of what that report REALLY meant, and why Griffith (that's Parker) was forced out, would entail a long diatribe about Huntsville Hospital. I am already in mid-long-diatribe and will refrain from further tangential bullshitting, other than to say: Huntsville Hospital is HUGELY political, and it has the smack of standard HH politics (i.e. been done before to other docs, administrators, board members, etc etc).
Currently, Parker (Griffith) is trying his damndest to get past this Torture-Doctor shite (look at his forcongress.com website), while continuing to attack Wayne Parker for being a stupid fucking lobbyist scumbag. Parker (that's Wayne) may have this sewn up, It's hard to tell.
The point is, though, that we have (supposedly) TWO candidates: Parker & Parker. But, with very little difference, according to their campaign materials, it's like voting for the the lesser half of the same fucking evil. It'd be like saying "I voted Bush Cheney '04 because, though I hate Cheney and Bush, I like Bush's legs. I can TRUST Bush's legs not to capitulate to terrorists, or fuck our economy up so bad it sends us into a global recession; and it's not like EITHER of them had anything to do with the TREASONOUS act of OUTING an UNDERCOVER CIA operative still on ACTIVE status. Nope, I just like those reassuringly chiseled calf muscles..."
In point of fact, this isn't likely the case. Look at Parker's (that's Griffith, Wayne has never held elected office) voting records and you'll see he's a fairly reliable democrat. He, apparently, is a socially conservative moderate democrat. Running against the guy who said, on the local TV debate, that he'd abolish the Department of Education. Parker (that's Griffith) has hit him HARD on that, listing the DoE's contribution to every school system in the 5th District- which is tens of millions of dollars. HOWEVER, it's obvious from his answers that Parker (that's Wayne) is likely a young earth creationist and Intelligent Design advocate. Parker (that's Wayne) really really really wants you to have to learn about God in Science class. Because we wouldn't want you to learn fucking SCIENCE in science class, we're only 24th of 14 developed countries surveyed in science! (See? If you'd fucking FUND the DoE instead of abolishing it, and stop trying to fuck with science education, I might know the sample size had to be bigger than 14 if we were 24th, and YOU might know that I was being facetious, or what that big fancy word meant!)
I hate having to vote for these schmucks. Parker Griffith shouldn't be ashamed at being A rated by the NRA, but he shouldn't pander so heavy-handedly, either. It's disgraceful, and his campaign is making him look like a republican in all but name. This is, probably, calculated; but it very well could mean I vote Independent and if I'm doing that, it could mean other swing votes are doing that. Wayne Parker is indistinguishable from a fool, a lobbyist, and an idiot. At the present time, it would be increasingly difficult to prove that Wayne Parker isn't the biggest piece of shit to ever try to lie, cheat, deceive, stupid (as the verb), and generally appeal to Palin-conservatives, his way into the AL-05. THAT is why I may actually NOT throw my vote away, and give it to the lesser side of the two evils (and his fairly reliable, intelligent, non-discriminatory voting record in the state Senate).
It's a disgusting election, this, and if I wasn't a horribly opinionated, atheist, skeptic, with no money, breeding, education, or worth I'd fucking run for this seat myself in four years and show these assholes that an intellectually honest, non-dogmatic, candidate can beat their dicks in with barely any money and only a spot at locally televised debates. Alas, how much better the world if my dreams- but not yours, yours are all creepy to us and really conveying that creepiness was the whole point of this post, thanks for reading through to it, and stop masturbating on the gerbils, now- were reality...
UPDATE: Just glanced at the newspaper for today, and see the CHRISTIAN COALITION has decried Wayne Parker's "Islam Ad" the headline reads "You need to win on the issues". I have not seen this ad (Not surprising since I watch little TV and when I do the channel tends to have B or MSN before the BC), nor read the story yet; more after lunch...
Read More...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Come Again Comedian
What's wrong with our comedy, anymore?
Where are the new Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Henny Youngman, Rodney Dangerfield, Mitch Hedburg?
Worse (somehow) where are the old Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dennis Leary, Robin Williams?
The answer is: they're there if you look for them; and they'll never come again.
First off, we're a media saturated culture. Thirty years ago there was no Comedy Central, showing stand-up to anyone with a basic cable subscription. Thirty years ago there really wasn't cable, at least nothing like what we have today. There was no TiVO, DVR, and not even VCR or Betamax (for both of you who remember those archaic form of recording); and no internet.
So, we get a lot more of the comedy that we once had to go to a Comedy Club to see. And, let's face it, most comedy sucks. To be honest, it simply doesn't appeal to very many people; but as Penn Jillette pointed out, in a country of 300(+) million you only have to appeal to a very small percentage to have millions of fans.
Second, because we're so saturated with information, we have less of an appetite for anything that isn't perfect. We feel that there are so many options that if it's not 100% perfect it's shit. For instance: back in the day when there were only three different styles of blue-jeans to choose from, and the pair you bought was a bit too short, tight, long, wide, stiff, uncomfortable, you dealt with it and moved along- you didn't have the choice to do otherwise, really; but now there's a million styles, colors, and fits so if your pair suits your tastes more than it did- but not 100%- you feel like maybe you made the wrong choice. The fact is, you made a great choice- especially in comparison to 30, 40, or 50 years ago.
Third, there really are a lot more shitty comedians. This is due to multiple things: the huge explosion of comedy in the late 70s and 80s, increased awareness of how to become a comedian, and more people. Thirty-five years ago, you had to REALLY want to be a comedian if you were from bum-fuck Texas and didn't already know a working comedian. Today, you hop online, hit a few forums, read some wikipedia article, jump to google maps, order some books from Amazon, and you're on your way. Then there's the fact that there's well over 300 million people in our country. If 1% of people (a year) ever tried to become comedians, and 1% of them (a year) get anywhere with it, and 1% of those (a year) make it onto comedy central, that's 300 people a year with 30 minutes to blow donkey nuts out of your television on Friday nights and weekday days. It might not seem like much; but try to name 30 comedians, now try to name 30 that don't include any I've already named in this post...
Shouldn't that mean that we have MORE Carlins, Pryors, and Hicks? Not at all. It's a different machine today than it was back then. There's no way to be certain that someone like Carlin would be nearly as popular if he came along today. Look at Lenny Bruce, he was so influential because he was such a new idea/phenomenon. No one had done or said the things he had; and no one had addressed the issues he addressed. He cussed, for one. Read Carlin on how Bruce changed his act! (Basically, the Carlin you know and love wouldn't have existed without Bruce). It's not that there are not new things to say and ways for it to be said, it's that the ways to be new are smaller, less indistinguishable from other ways. Look at music: find a ban that doesn't (or couldn't) get described by naming six other bands that came before them.
Back in the day it was: (1)Much harder to become a working comedian because there were far fewer venues. Henny Youngman, even at the height of his career, would perform at any Bar Mitzvah in the hotel he was staying at- and would actually go offer to preform at them. That's unimaginable for many people- even many comedians- today. This meant you had to REALLY want to do it, and REALLY be vested in getting better (appealing to more people), if you wanted to do the comedy. (2)More competitive amongst the comics because there were so few venues- no internet celebrities back then.
These two factors meant the people who did make it were seriously the best of the best. Today you can appeal to far less than 1% of people, and if you can get a dollar out of each of them you can be a millionaire. And you're not stuck appealing to one country. You can take advantage of every person who speaks the same language as you. Eddie Izzard has done his routines in many languages- including French, German, and Icelandic.
Add to it that people change, and people with reputations (and who make money off those reps) are cautious, protecting their money-makers, and you'll never see those few titans ever do the risky shit that made them their names. They don't need to, either. Robin Williams has millions of fans who will pay money to see him at his most mediocre because he enraptured them back when he was young, hungry, and doing enough cocaine to kill several peruvian pack animals. They don't need to strive like they did when they were proving themselves, they age and the creative spark fades, they get a family and their priorities change, they get rich and less connected to the people they once spoke for, and they get happier with life and no longer have that driving hate that so many of the best comedians seem to have.
It all adds up. But things aren't bleak.
Instead of waiting 6 years for the next Carlin record to drop, you can now get your favorite comedian's latest and greatest almost as soon as they perform it.
And there are still a number of REALLY great comedians out there. Patton Oswalt, Doug Stanhope, David Cross, Eddie Izzard, The Amazing Johnathan, so on and so on. And the amount of humorous acts and media is astounding: Penn & Teller, The Daily Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Diesel Sweeties, XKCD, Fafblog, etc etc etc etc.
Don't forget that yesterday sucked, too. Today isn't any better, per se, it's different- and there's not really anything inherently wrong with that. Read More...
Where are the new Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Henny Youngman, Rodney Dangerfield, Mitch Hedburg?
Worse (somehow) where are the old Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Dennis Leary, Robin Williams?
The answer is: they're there if you look for them; and they'll never come again.
First off, we're a media saturated culture. Thirty years ago there was no Comedy Central, showing stand-up to anyone with a basic cable subscription. Thirty years ago there really wasn't cable, at least nothing like what we have today. There was no TiVO, DVR, and not even VCR or Betamax (for both of you who remember those archaic form of recording); and no internet.
So, we get a lot more of the comedy that we once had to go to a Comedy Club to see. And, let's face it, most comedy sucks. To be honest, it simply doesn't appeal to very many people; but as Penn Jillette pointed out, in a country of 300(+) million you only have to appeal to a very small percentage to have millions of fans.
Second, because we're so saturated with information, we have less of an appetite for anything that isn't perfect. We feel that there are so many options that if it's not 100% perfect it's shit. For instance: back in the day when there were only three different styles of blue-jeans to choose from, and the pair you bought was a bit too short, tight, long, wide, stiff, uncomfortable, you dealt with it and moved along- you didn't have the choice to do otherwise, really; but now there's a million styles, colors, and fits so if your pair suits your tastes more than it did- but not 100%- you feel like maybe you made the wrong choice. The fact is, you made a great choice- especially in comparison to 30, 40, or 50 years ago.
Third, there really are a lot more shitty comedians. This is due to multiple things: the huge explosion of comedy in the late 70s and 80s, increased awareness of how to become a comedian, and more people. Thirty-five years ago, you had to REALLY want to be a comedian if you were from bum-fuck Texas and didn't already know a working comedian. Today, you hop online, hit a few forums, read some wikipedia article, jump to google maps, order some books from Amazon, and you're on your way. Then there's the fact that there's well over 300 million people in our country. If 1% of people (a year) ever tried to become comedians, and 1% of them (a year) get anywhere with it, and 1% of those (a year) make it onto comedy central, that's 300 people a year with 30 minutes to blow donkey nuts out of your television on Friday nights and weekday days. It might not seem like much; but try to name 30 comedians, now try to name 30 that don't include any I've already named in this post...
Shouldn't that mean that we have MORE Carlins, Pryors, and Hicks? Not at all. It's a different machine today than it was back then. There's no way to be certain that someone like Carlin would be nearly as popular if he came along today. Look at Lenny Bruce, he was so influential because he was such a new idea/phenomenon. No one had done or said the things he had; and no one had addressed the issues he addressed. He cussed, for one. Read Carlin on how Bruce changed his act! (Basically, the Carlin you know and love wouldn't have existed without Bruce). It's not that there are not new things to say and ways for it to be said, it's that the ways to be new are smaller, less indistinguishable from other ways. Look at music: find a ban that doesn't (or couldn't) get described by naming six other bands that came before them.
Back in the day it was: (1)Much harder to become a working comedian because there were far fewer venues. Henny Youngman, even at the height of his career, would perform at any Bar Mitzvah in the hotel he was staying at- and would actually go offer to preform at them. That's unimaginable for many people- even many comedians- today. This meant you had to REALLY want to do it, and REALLY be vested in getting better (appealing to more people), if you wanted to do the comedy. (2)More competitive amongst the comics because there were so few venues- no internet celebrities back then.
These two factors meant the people who did make it were seriously the best of the best. Today you can appeal to far less than 1% of people, and if you can get a dollar out of each of them you can be a millionaire. And you're not stuck appealing to one country. You can take advantage of every person who speaks the same language as you. Eddie Izzard has done his routines in many languages- including French, German, and Icelandic.
Add to it that people change, and people with reputations (and who make money off those reps) are cautious, protecting their money-makers, and you'll never see those few titans ever do the risky shit that made them their names. They don't need to, either. Robin Williams has millions of fans who will pay money to see him at his most mediocre because he enraptured them back when he was young, hungry, and doing enough cocaine to kill several peruvian pack animals. They don't need to strive like they did when they were proving themselves, they age and the creative spark fades, they get a family and their priorities change, they get rich and less connected to the people they once spoke for, and they get happier with life and no longer have that driving hate that so many of the best comedians seem to have.
It all adds up. But things aren't bleak.
Instead of waiting 6 years for the next Carlin record to drop, you can now get your favorite comedian's latest and greatest almost as soon as they perform it.
And there are still a number of REALLY great comedians out there. Patton Oswalt, Doug Stanhope, David Cross, Eddie Izzard, The Amazing Johnathan, so on and so on. And the amount of humorous acts and media is astounding: Penn & Teller, The Daily Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Diesel Sweeties, XKCD, Fafblog, etc etc etc etc.
Don't forget that yesterday sucked, too. Today isn't any better, per se, it's different- and there's not really anything inherently wrong with that. Read More...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
SNL
It's no secret that SNL "ain't what it used to be". And by "what it used to be", I mean in the days of Dennis Miller, Adam Sandler, Farley, Carvey, McDonald, etc etc. (And maybe the times of Chase, Murphy, Ackroyd, Murray, etc etc).
With the exception of Tina Fey- though, I'm getting really annoyed with the constant reiteration of the same Palin jokes over and over again- I'd say the cast(s) have sucked for a long time. I was never a fan of Will Farrell, and I still find him far more annoying and monotonously over-done. But.
Occasionally, there's a really funny skit coming out of SNL. The rastafarian digital this past weekend (also, the first time I've watched in years), the Marky Mark skit from two weeks ago, and the first couple Palin mocks. But, notice something: The rasta skit, and the Marky Mark skit, were done by the same guy. The Palin skit was done by Fey. Worth checking out, also, was a bit in a larger skit where Rev Wright and Bill Ayers appear... can't remember much else, fuck you you suffer the shit that is SNL if you really wanna see it.
So, what's the deal? Is it really worse, or have we- the ones who dislike it now and loved it before- changed? The answer is, obviously, both. In my case, I know my sense of humour has changed significantly. But, also, SNL really seems targetted at 17 year olds (if that) with jokes about shit that only a 27 year old (or older) would really understand. And it's seemed that way, to me, forever.
Plus the musical guests blow dick, anymore. Remember Sinead O'Connor? Not gonna see any risks like that anymore. It seems passe because a lot of what they do has been taken up by others and done better. Daily Show is a blatant rip off of weekend update (which was probably not an idea original to SNL), and is MUCH better even than the horrible Thursday 30-minute version of WU. Mr. Show kicked sketch-comedy in the testicles and then raped it's mom in the pooper, all while wearing clown make-up.
But of course, all comedy has sorta gone this way of shite and shite-ier. More on that, later.... Read More...
With the exception of Tina Fey- though, I'm getting really annoyed with the constant reiteration of the same Palin jokes over and over again- I'd say the cast(s) have sucked for a long time. I was never a fan of Will Farrell, and I still find him far more annoying and monotonously over-done. But.
Occasionally, there's a really funny skit coming out of SNL. The rastafarian digital this past weekend (also, the first time I've watched in years), the Marky Mark skit from two weeks ago, and the first couple Palin mocks. But, notice something: The rasta skit, and the Marky Mark skit, were done by the same guy. The Palin skit was done by Fey. Worth checking out, also, was a bit in a larger skit where Rev Wright and Bill Ayers appear... can't remember much else, fuck you you suffer the shit that is SNL if you really wanna see it.
So, what's the deal? Is it really worse, or have we- the ones who dislike it now and loved it before- changed? The answer is, obviously, both. In my case, I know my sense of humour has changed significantly. But, also, SNL really seems targetted at 17 year olds (if that) with jokes about shit that only a 27 year old (or older) would really understand. And it's seemed that way, to me, forever.
Plus the musical guests blow dick, anymore. Remember Sinead O'Connor? Not gonna see any risks like that anymore. It seems passe because a lot of what they do has been taken up by others and done better. Daily Show is a blatant rip off of weekend update (which was probably not an idea original to SNL), and is MUCH better even than the horrible Thursday 30-minute version of WU. Mr. Show kicked sketch-comedy in the testicles and then raped it's mom in the pooper, all while wearing clown make-up.
But of course, all comedy has sorta gone this way of shite and shite-ier. More on that, later.... Read More...
Friday, October 24, 2008
My Gogol Bordello Playlist
This Is what I've been listening to over and over again, recently.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C899203D9C034297
And just because I'm curious about what this does:
Read More...
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C899203D9C034297
And just because I'm curious about what this does:
Read More...
Funny, WoWfag
So, it turns out the average MMO player is probably more physically fit than you are. This makes you a horrible fuck, and you should start playing MMOs because it will make you cool, hip, and healthier. (Originally heard about this via The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe)
Also, I recently saw a forum signature on the WoW forums that was funny. This isn't exactly new, lots of the humor is puerile and /b/tarded; but this particular one seemed in need of spreading:
GOP says, "We'll see your black guy and raise you a woman."
-Nubcoilz Read More...
Also, I recently saw a forum signature on the WoW forums that was funny. This isn't exactly new, lots of the humor is puerile and /b/tarded; but this particular one seemed in need of spreading:
GOP says, "We'll see your black guy and raise you a woman."
-Nubcoilz Read More...
Mortality Tables
Actuarial Tables - Mathematical measurement of probabilities, associated with age and other status factors, that a person of age X will survvie to their (X + 1)th birthday.
XKCD makes the fanboys cry. Read More...
XKCD makes the fanboys cry. Read More...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Culture for the Masstards
In an on-going attempt to force recognition of the many faceted awesomeness of various aspects of life, I present an on-going attempt to educate those who are uneducated, by choice, by accident, or by lack of ability:
Today's installment, Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet:
Read More...
Today's installment, Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet:
Read More...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
You Say You Want a Revolucion?
Here's some places you need to check out:
http://www.skepdic.com - Skeptic's Dictionary, outlining bullshit, woo, and psuedoscience, why they are wrong, and common terms, tools, and generally good things to know, think snopes.com in a way.
http://www.site.stopjenny.com/ - STOP JENNY MCCARTHY. The ex-booger picking idiot from MTV is on a crusade against vaccinations, wheat, and dairy products, claiming they all caused or contributed to her son's autism. SHe is wrong, there is evidence, and the whole anti-vaccination movement is responsible for Polio still being around.
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/ - STOP SYLVIA BROWNE. This is another- like John Edwards, James Van Praag, and Uri Geller- fake ass psychic bilking people out of money. She's the one that told a couple on Montell that their child was dead and some years later the child was found- not extremely far away- being held by a nut-bag.
http://www.randi.org/ - JAMES RANDI EDUCATION FOUNDATION. The JREF is awesome, and a great resource, especially their very active Forums. Search the forums and it's likely all your questions will be answered.
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/ - THE SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE. Best Podcast EVER! Also an active Forum, 20 common Logical Fallacies, and other great resources.
http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/ - Doctor Steven Novella's blog
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ - Group Blog, including Doctor Steven Novella, great resource fighting woo and psuedoscience in medicine (like anti-vaxxers)
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ - PZ Myers blog (if you don't know him, you should).
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/ - Bad Astronomer, and President of the JREF, Phil Plait's blog.
http://skepchick.org/blog/ - Group Blog, featuring Rebecca Watson.
http://whatstheharm.net/ - WHAT'S THE HARM. So, you think belief in ghosts, psychics, homeopathy, or other such bullshit doesn't have a negative side? Go see how many people have died, been swindled, injured, or otherwise quantifiably hurt by woo, psuedoscience, and bullshit.
There are many others, but these are the ones I tend to hit, cite, and read regularly. These are important resources, especially when referring friends and family, or trying to develop better arguments against the crap people believe. I've included them here, because though these sites aren't necessarily atheists sites, a certain fat whore is all-over the intardwub today spouting her bullshit and hate; and I think it's a good time to remind people of the good guys in the face of such disgusting shit.
(By the by, I'm attacking her sexual proclivity and weight, not to cast doubt on her intelligence, or the validity of her arguments; but because I'm a hateful prick who enjoys preying on the weak and stupid. Well, actually I enjoy preying on the stupid, it just so happens most of them are rather weak-willed, too. Her arguments are wrong because of various reasons, I leave to readers to discover for themselves. She's a "cunted cunt" because her bloated disgusting hate is washing through my personal spaces today via multiple places I regularly enjoy reading, and I'm a bit pissed at having to deal with her crap. So, she's a fat whore- no offense to all the whores out there- because she's fucking with my groove, man. Warren and PZ forced me to write this tangential shit, the bastards....) [Last thing: It's really not a great way of handling that sorta shit; but I sorta agree with the ideals of Rational Response Squad that fighting anger and arrogance with anger and arrogance and truth and logic is a justifiable offensive strategy].
{Also: Che Guevera and the Beatles blow ass, just sayin'...} Read More...
http://www.skepdic.com - Skeptic's Dictionary, outlining bullshit, woo, and psuedoscience, why they are wrong, and common terms, tools, and generally good things to know, think snopes.com in a way.
http://www.site.stopjenny.com/ - STOP JENNY MCCARTHY. The ex-booger picking idiot from MTV is on a crusade against vaccinations, wheat, and dairy products, claiming they all caused or contributed to her son's autism. SHe is wrong, there is evidence, and the whole anti-vaccination movement is responsible for Polio still being around.
http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/ - STOP SYLVIA BROWNE. This is another- like John Edwards, James Van Praag, and Uri Geller- fake ass psychic bilking people out of money. She's the one that told a couple on Montell that their child was dead and some years later the child was found- not extremely far away- being held by a nut-bag.
http://www.randi.org/ - JAMES RANDI EDUCATION FOUNDATION. The JREF is awesome, and a great resource, especially their very active Forums. Search the forums and it's likely all your questions will be answered.
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/ - THE SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE. Best Podcast EVER! Also an active Forum, 20 common Logical Fallacies, and other great resources.
http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/ - Doctor Steven Novella's blog
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ - Group Blog, including Doctor Steven Novella, great resource fighting woo and psuedoscience in medicine (like anti-vaxxers)
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ - PZ Myers blog (if you don't know him, you should).
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/ - Bad Astronomer, and President of the JREF, Phil Plait's blog.
http://skepchick.org/blog/ - Group Blog, featuring Rebecca Watson.
http://whatstheharm.net/ - WHAT'S THE HARM. So, you think belief in ghosts, psychics, homeopathy, or other such bullshit doesn't have a negative side? Go see how many people have died, been swindled, injured, or otherwise quantifiably hurt by woo, psuedoscience, and bullshit.
There are many others, but these are the ones I tend to hit, cite, and read regularly. These are important resources, especially when referring friends and family, or trying to develop better arguments against the crap people believe. I've included them here, because though these sites aren't necessarily atheists sites, a certain fat whore is all-over the intardwub today spouting her bullshit and hate; and I think it's a good time to remind people of the good guys in the face of such disgusting shit.
(By the by, I'm attacking her sexual proclivity and weight, not to cast doubt on her intelligence, or the validity of her arguments; but because I'm a hateful prick who enjoys preying on the weak and stupid. Well, actually I enjoy preying on the stupid, it just so happens most of them are rather weak-willed, too. Her arguments are wrong because of various reasons, I leave to readers to discover for themselves. She's a "cunted cunt" because her bloated disgusting hate is washing through my personal spaces today via multiple places I regularly enjoy reading, and I'm a bit pissed at having to deal with her crap. So, she's a fat whore- no offense to all the whores out there- because she's fucking with my groove, man. Warren and PZ forced me to write this tangential shit, the bastards....) [Last thing: It's really not a great way of handling that sorta shit; but I sorta agree with the ideals of Rational Response Squad that fighting anger and arrogance with anger and arrogance and truth and logic is a justifiable offensive strategy].
{Also: Che Guevera and the Beatles blow ass, just sayin'...} Read More...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Time to Talk
It's time we had a little talk. We're friends, right? And we can say, to each other, whatever we're thinking, right? This is a no-judging zone, right? Because we're friends. Good, good...
I know Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and anyone else trying to legitimize anger over historical wrongs, and some modern hardships, has been telling you how there's a difference between "white people" and "black people"; but you do see they're getting paid to say that shit, right? Of course you do.
How many black presidents do there have to be before we can just drop this whole "I'm being treated differently based on the color of my skin" thing? Oh, settle down, I'm not talking about completely. I know there're some racist fucks still out there. I know there are still some people who distrust others on the color of their skin. There are still people who think "race" wasn't something we made up out of whole cloth. But, I mean in general. I mean, when can we stop the "I'm being singled out" defense for non-specific incidents?
Because isn't it racist to claim it when it's not true?
And does a black President mean it's time to address some of this last-generation, and before, bullshit that's only left over because the old hateful dinosaurs won't hurry the fuck up and die?
Or does even talking about this out loud, as a white devil (in the words of the Nation of Islam), mean I'm somehow racist?
Glad we could have this chat... Read More...
I know Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and anyone else trying to legitimize anger over historical wrongs, and some modern hardships, has been telling you how there's a difference between "white people" and "black people"; but you do see they're getting paid to say that shit, right? Of course you do.
How many black presidents do there have to be before we can just drop this whole "I'm being treated differently based on the color of my skin" thing? Oh, settle down, I'm not talking about completely. I know there're some racist fucks still out there. I know there are still some people who distrust others on the color of their skin. There are still people who think "race" wasn't something we made up out of whole cloth. But, I mean in general. I mean, when can we stop the "I'm being singled out" defense for non-specific incidents?
Because isn't it racist to claim it when it's not true?
And does a black President mean it's time to address some of this last-generation, and before, bullshit that's only left over because the old hateful dinosaurs won't hurry the fuck up and die?
Or does even talking about this out loud, as a white devil (in the words of the Nation of Islam), mean I'm somehow racist?
Glad we could have this chat... Read More...
Top Gear
If you don't watch the BBC's Top Gear, you're missing one of the smartest, funniest, and most entertaining shows on television. I have watched it with my sisters in the room, one who mildly cares about cars the other who doesn't at all, and we were all laughing and enjoying the show. It's great, and most of you will probably already have seen it.
Recently, I saw a clip on YouTube that made me want to move away more than I ever have before. (A Quick Aside: Part of growing up in Alabama, and not being a worthless redneck bigot, is an intense desire to run far far away as quickly as possible- though this is usually an expression of teenage angst, and massive poverty tends to undermine this for most, imo.) Whatever. The point is, there are two clips, totaling about 20 minutes of an hour long Top Gear episode where they go through Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisianna.
What happens in Alabama is.... embarrassing, to say the least. (It happens in the second half, and there's no need to preface the events by watching the first half, but Top Gear really is entertaining and if you have the extra 10 minutes watch both instead of the horribly uncool bits of part 2)....
Without further ado:
(These are posted on YouTube by the BBC and embedding is disabled, but they should stay up for a long long time)
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOyDLUzAAOY
Part 2: (Containing the truly embarrassing visit to AL) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2syY12OPkwI Read More...
Recently, I saw a clip on YouTube that made me want to move away more than I ever have before. (A Quick Aside: Part of growing up in Alabama, and not being a worthless redneck bigot, is an intense desire to run far far away as quickly as possible- though this is usually an expression of teenage angst, and massive poverty tends to undermine this for most, imo.) Whatever. The point is, there are two clips, totaling about 20 minutes of an hour long Top Gear episode where they go through Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisianna.
What happens in Alabama is.... embarrassing, to say the least. (It happens in the second half, and there's no need to preface the events by watching the first half, but Top Gear really is entertaining and if you have the extra 10 minutes watch both instead of the horribly uncool bits of part 2)....
Without further ado:
(These are posted on YouTube by the BBC and embedding is disabled, but they should stay up for a long long time)
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOyDLUzAAOY
Part 2: (Containing the truly embarrassing visit to AL) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2syY12OPkwI Read More...
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