Following on from a random thought yesterday, here’s the lecture from Prof. Dan Dennett that I vaguely had in the back of my mind when suggesting that people’s thoughts are sometimes effectively “hijacked” by parasitic memes that may run counter to their own personal imperatives (well that was the allusion in any case). To give the notion some verisimilitude and politically contextualize it a bit, it might be an interesting proposition to examine the puzzling conundrum, “What’s the matter with Kansas?” as posed by Thomas Frank several years ago, through this prism.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
More About Brain Zombies… and Kansas
Monday, March 10, 2008
The “Final Frontier” and all that rot…
Hmmm. The romantically named Jules Verne turns out only to be little more than an extremely expensive disposable space freighter delivering bottled water form Milan, but still… kind of neat.
The shuttle Endeavour just safely lifted off from Cape Canaveral on a relatively rare night launch sending the new Japanese space laboratory and our very own Canadian “Dextre” (special purpose dexterous manipulator) into space. Here’s a diagram of it on the CSA website.
It’s an unfortunate shame that our tentative ventures in space have now become so blasé and largely commercialized for the most part.
Truth Happens
“The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple.” — Oscar Wilde
Yes, so-called “truth” does indeed happen, but those who arrogantly claim to possess it by means of presumption are frequently proven wrong...
Fallen Idols: Spitzer
Mere plebs that we are, our attitude of rotten cynicism, apathy and general disaffection with the sleazy political fray is often remarked upon with some degree of haughty contempt by the multi-millionaire nabobs (now referred to more fashionably as “villagers”) of the mainstream press, but are those feelings of alienation and disappointment really all that misplaced when so many of our public officials, even those “straight arrows” we may once have imagined as being impossibly removed from the grubby realm of scandal, so rudely disappoint us with their vulgar and immoral indiscretions?
I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family, and that violates my or any sense of right and wrong.” — Elliot Spitzer, New York Governor
Urgh.
Update: Predicted NYP Headline: “Love Potion #9” Heh. Clever indeed.
Update2: Quite so. It’s the hypocrisy, stupid!
Great Opinions: Part I
Thankfully, there are lots of gruesome clips like the above-noted out there… Given the frequency of stories like this, I suspect that I’ll be availing myself of them with some alarming degree of regularity in future.
Anyway… Hello, and welcome to a new series that I’m calling “Great Opinions”…
Full disclosure at the outset: these citations may not actually be all that “great” — in fact, they could be kind of shitty, baseless, vile, unsubstantiated, specious, dubious or otherwise wholly counterfactual, but nonetheless, according to a certain constituency of haywire jerkwads, have been deemed to be “GREAT” for some deeply inexplicable reason or other…
So join me, won’t you as we painfully stumble upon the GREATNESS that the brightest minds of Wingnuttia offer up from the political discourse for our edification…
Conservative-BT Relationship Explained
I’m finding this whole “clearification” thing to be quite remarkably useful…
Sad Facts: We Suck!
I mean that in the broadest possible sense. So just briefly put aside your partisan political cudgels for the time being and accept for the moment the premise that WE (and you know who you/we are!) at times suck beyond belief. Why, you ask? Well, look no further…
This appalling situation concerning the First Nation people of Attawapiskat is a perfect illustration of just how badly we SUCK and how miserably we’ve failed at managing aboriginal issues over the years. It doesn’t seem to matter who’s in charge of “Indian Affairs”… whether it be Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, or now the spanky “New Conservatives”… the story is the same old shameful, completely inexcusable horseshit.
Good grief, how heinously pathetic is it that we’ve got a native community that’s been crying out for… A SCHOOL… for, um… THIRTY YEARS!
Gee, can you imagine the furious bellyaching that would arise from the good folks of Delisle, SK if their beloved SaskWest High School was inadvertently contaminated by a diesel fuel spill and then not replaced for THIRTY YEARS? And just imagine the howls of outrage if they happened to be sitting right next door to a diamond mine! Why the possibilities for rhetorical extravagance boggle the imagination.
Get off your fat, fucking arse, Chuck and deal with this matter like a decent human being. Heck, you’ll be breaking precedent and might even win some political points for doing so, because the Liberals have absolutely nothing to crow about here.
h/t: Cameron Holmstrom at Peterborough Politcs and CC who picked up on this earlier. By the way, there are a lot of really good (albeit depressing) links worth following up on in the comments to Cameron’s original post.
Rock’em Sock’em Robots
Perhaps there’s some wisdom behind the Liberals’ “strategy” after all.
“Essentially what you have here is two punch-drunk fighters in the centre of the ring whaling away at each other and nothing is happening. People really aren’t paying much attention.” – Darrell Bricker, Ipsos Reid President
Truth In Advertising
An absolutely hilarious spoof of the world of marketing that was featured at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Really, this is the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages.
Warning: Most definitely NOT “work safe” — it contains almost endless profanity (what our “conservative” tea lady friends delicately call “potty mouth” language).
Additional Doughy Pantload Warning: Contains innumerable epithets that some retarded fuckwits may consider to be “homophobic” — watch at your own peril!
Sliced Bread & Other Marketing Delights
A TED lecture by author/speaker Seth Godin on marketing in an era when the old “TV-industrial complex” is no longer as effective at reaching consumers as it once was.
Godin has a blog (who doesn’t?) by the way, which is worth checking out for its eclectic mix of provocative ideas about advertising, communications, and… stuff.
Propaganda
An open source video compilation, Propaganda offers a critical look at our “so-called liberal” mainstream media, with special emphasis on how it was co-opted in connection with promoting the Iraq war. Featuring interviews and lectures by Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Amy Goodman and others. The quality of the sound and video footage is a bit dodgy, but the material more than compensates…
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Trade Twaddle
What an utter load of bollocks. NAFTA has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the offshoring of manufacturing jobs to China. Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Zero. If the NAFTA was scrapped tomorrow, it wouldn’t impact our trade with China one iota in terms of finished goods, although it might open up some more competitive opportunities for commodity exports. But then, that’s part of what Jack’s decrying here, so his huffy petulance really makes no sense at all. What a clueless twat.
h/t: Calgary Grit
Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla... Oklahoma!
Brand new state!
Brand new state, gonna treat you great!
Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters,
Pasture fer the cattle,
Spinach and termayters!
Flowers on the prarie where the June bugs zoom,
Plen’y of air and plen’y of room,
Plen'y of room to swing a rope!
Plen’y of heart and plen’y of hope.
Or maybe not. That is if you happen to be gay or lesbian. Meet Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern everybody. According to Pam Spaulding:
“She didn’t know that she was being recorded in a meeting, so we get a nice insight about what she thinks of her gay and lesbian constituents. Perhaps she doesn’t think she has any.Now, what happens when you get this sort of hateful, Bible-thumping wingnut sitting on the Education Committee? Why, I’m glad you asked. Behold and be... um, amazed:
About 30 seconds into this homobigoted, fact-free, BS screed, Rep. Kern actually says how she doesn’t hate gays (of course not!), then proceeds to continue on her tirade of filth.
I don’t think you need to guess which party Kern belongs to. This is a woman who sits on the Education Committee in the OK legislature. She’s also a member of Mother Schlafly’s Eagle Forum.”
The Oklahoma House of Representatives Education Committee has just approved House Bill 2211. The bill is expected to pass the full House, and then to go to the Senate. Its authors describe it as promoting freedom of religion in the public schools. In fact, it does the opposite.To, the next person who asks why I’m so adamantly opposed to religion (Coffee… are you listening?) please simply refer to this post.
The bill requires public schools to guarantee students the right to express their religious viewpoints in a public forum, in class, in homework and in other ways without being penalized. If a student’s religious beliefs were in conflict with scientific theory, and the student chose to express those beliefs rather than explain the theory in response to an exam question, the student’s incorrect response would be deemed satisfactory, according to this bill.
The school would be required to reward the student with a good grade, or be considered in violation of the law. Even simple, factual information such as the age of the earth (4.65 billion years) would be subject to the student’s belief, and if the student answered 6,000 years based on his or her religious belief, the school would have to credit it as correct. Science education becomes absurd under such a situation.
h/t: Dave (again!)
Clearification: Episode 6 (“Looking on Wheels”)
I had a heck of a time finding this final episode, eventually locating it on SpikeTV.com. Sometimes you have to go to unexpected places to find the stuff you’re looking for. Clearification!
RMR: Liberals Back Down
Priceless Mercer:
We’re backing down! And loving it.
We said some things that we regret.
Pass your budget. Don’t mind us.
Sorry if we caused a fuss.
We’re backing down with a smile.
No election for a while.
Pass your budget. Take all week.
No one can understand our leader speak.
Pass your bills. Have no fear.
If anyone needs us we’re over here.
An election now just won’t do.
The future is lookin’ Tory blue.
“The Liberals… We’re adaptable.”
The God Who Wasn’t There: The Mythical Jesus
A summary of inexplicable discrepancies within the Gospels demonstrating the contention that Jesus is more of a mythical allegory in the long tradition of other pagan “hero myths” rather than an historical reality.
True Adventures of Chad: Swim Meet
Chad... The guy who was so into Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, that he decided to live in a ball!
James Burke: After the Warming
A futuristic “documentary” from the author/presenter of Connections and The Day the Universe Changed that takes a look backwards at the climate change issue from the vantage of 2050. Made in 1994, many of Burke’ s assumptions are already laughably (and sadly) out of date in many respects, at least as far as the actions he imagined being taken by the industrialized nations of the world. For example, he foresaw the US signing onto a global initiative to tackle the greenhouse effect by the year 2000 and the establishment of an international agency, the Planetary Management Authority that would oversee a comprehensive carbon trading scheme. Nonetheless, it does provide a interesting perspective on the issue as well as an informative primer on climate change.
Loose Change 2nd Edition Recut
According to Wikipedia: “In May 2002, Dylan Avery began writing a fictional story about him and his friends discovering that the 9/11 attacks were not a terrorist attack involving only members of al Qaeda, but that they were, rather, an attack orchestrated by members of the United States government. While researching the events of 9/11 for the movie, Avery came to the view that his subject matter may not have been entirely fiction, and so he decided to turn his movie into a documentary.”
Saturday, March 8, 2008
America’s History of War in 2 Minutes
Here’s another one of those intriguing little map thingees, this time visually illustrating the various wars America has been involved in around the world since its inception up to the present as initiated by: 1) the Founding Fathers; 2) the Democrats; and 3) the Republicans.
“I’m sorry to tell you, there’s going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars.” – John McCain
Empires of the Middle East
A quick visual summary of the major empires that have come and gone through the Middle East from the ancient Egyptians up to the present.
Afghan Massacre – The Convoy of Death
Here’s a little tale about our Afghan “allies” that for some curious reason went entirely unreported by the media here.
Produced and directed by Irish filmmaker and former BBC producer Jamie Doran, the film tells the story of thousands of prisoners who surrendered to the Northern Alliance after the siege of Kunduz. According to the film, some three thousand of the prisoners were forced into sealed containers and loaded onto trucks for transport to Sheberghan prison. When the prisoners began shouting for air, U.S.-allied Afghan soldiers fired directly into the truck, killing many of them. The rest suffered through an appalling road trip lasting up to four days, so thirsty they clawed at the skin of their fellow prisoners as they licked perspiration and even drank blood from open wounds.
Witnesses say that when the trucks arrived and soldiers opened the containers, most of the people inside were dead. They also say US Special Forces re-directed the containers carrying the living and dead into the desert and stood by as survivors were shot and buried. Now, up to three thousand bodies lie buried in a mass grave.
Clearification: Episode 5 (Nature/Naturalness)
“I wonder if any lumberjacks eat small breakfasts… because there seems to be an expectation for large breakfasts if you’re in that line of work.”
Friday, March 7, 2008
Yawn...
Sorry, but unlike some, I’m just not terribly keen to engage in the whole hand-wringing, emotional soul-searching and melodramatic Weltschmerzing that seems to be going on in certain circles about the current travails of the Liberal Party.
Given I haven’t been anticipating an election until the fall in any case, my sense of frustration certainly doesn’t match that of those who are eager to pull down the government at the first available opportunity on whatever pretext. After all, what would the objective of such a move be? Years of poll results would suggest another defeat in the offing, the only question being the order of magnitude. Um, and that would be useful… how, exactly?
Does anyone in their right mind seriously think that the Liberals could conceivably win at this point in time? Even if Team Dion somehow or other managed to eek out a minority… Nah, it’s not going to happen, so there’s no point speculating about how many weeks or possibly months that would last. I suppose you could say that another leadership contest might be a positive consequence of a losing outcome, but maybe not. Does the party really need more acrimony and division? On the downside of course, it could well provide Harper with a majority government until 2012 — something it’s safe to say that most “progressives” agree would be an absolute disaster.
Having said all that, it would be less than truthful to say that my party of choice hasn’t been a groan-inducing disappointment over the last year or so; what with its uninspiring leader, disturbing lack of policies, maddening penchant for spineless waffling, and most significantly, a curious inability to clearly articulate its own core values let alone credibly define an exciting or compelling new vision for Canada. Well, you can’t have everything, I guess.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think the Harper government has been all that monstrously awful. Far from the sky falling, for the most part they’ve governed from the middle of the road, and have carefully avoided steering too far to the right. In many respects, their governance has been indistinguishable from that of past Liberal governments. This naturally suggests the allegation made by the NDP that there’s no difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives. Rubbish. Even though they can be hard to spot at times, there are very real differences between the two parties. Just because the Conservatives are pretending to be moderate centrists for the time being, this certainly doesn’t reflect their true sentiments or ideology. It’s only by virtue of finding themselves stuck in a minority position and their acute awareness that “scary” demonstrations of right-wing extremism would quickly lose them any realistic opportunity of attaining the majority they so desperately covet, that forces them to continue pandering to what Andrew Coyne derisively calls “the mushy middle” (i.e., traditional Liberal territory).
Although the Liberals’ performance in opposition has been immensely disappointing, I would argue that they don’t actually have to be terribly effective because their very existence as a credible government-in-waiting (a status the NDP has yet to achieve, I’m afraid) alone acts as a limiting effect on the Conservatives for as long as they’re in a minority position. Basically, Harper and the Conservatives aren’t going to upset the apple-cart unless it’s to their advantage to do so. In the meantime, so as not to alienate much-needed moderate voters, they’ll continue to hold their tongues and constrain their more socially conservative or ideologically extreme impulses for as long as they have to. And so it goes, as Linda Ellerbee used to say.
So, for the time being, colour me indifferent. The political dynamic isn’t a terribly happy one for any of the parties, certainly far less so for some than for others, and yes, it does get a little frustrating... now and again somewhat dispiriting even. I really can’t see the point in despairing utterly about it however, or getting furiously outraged into a tizzy at the supposed “failings” of the Liberals in view of the pragmatic realities of the situation. Neither of those reactions appear to serve much purpose if you ask me… which of course you didn’t.
Snow in Toronto
In advance of the latest winter snow storm being forecast to wallop southern Ontario with a vengeance today and tomorrow (possibly the worst of the season), and the inevitable whining that will follow from a certain person…
Oh, by the way, we’re expecting light rain here today, followed by sun and “variable clouds” with a high of 10C tomorrow. I’m sure there are daffodils sprouting as I write this… Bah, ha, ha, ha.
Clearification: Episode 4 (Demetri-The Subject)
In which our protagonist begins “Advancement Therapy”…
Do schools kill creativity?
In this brisk TED lecture, education reformer Sir Ken Robinson makes a compelling and highly amusing case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize — much less cultivate — the talents of many brilliant people. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says.
Robinson feels that Western education is geared at training workers for the defunct industrial revolution instead of training young people to think critically.
“I’m sure people listening to this have had these experiences, being pushed away from doing certain things like art or music, because there is a belief that these things aren’t very useful for getting a job.”
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sienfeld-Superman: Episode 1
Part of an excellent series of online ads that were done years ago for American Express promoting their “Protection Plan” insurance. I remember trying to watch these when they first came out with my crappy computer and my lousy dial-up connection… ugh, it was a painful experience. Seems like eons ago.
Back to the Future?
Meet the Peel microcars! And you thought Minis were small... They must have seemed like a luxury sedan compared to these dinky cars. And who knew they made autos on the Isle of Mann in the 60s. Good example of evolution, I guess.
Why We Fight: Part 1 (“Prelude to War”)
Frank Capra’s classic propaganda film made for the Department of War’s Information Office (yes, it was really called that in the pre-Orwellian days of yore) at the outset of WWII for viewing by the military so they would have some grasp, albeit rather simplistic, of the ideological underpinnings of the conflict and, as the title suggests, the values they were fighting for. Imagine! What a quaint concept.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Shame! (Updated)
Following are the names of the Liberal MPs who voted with the government in favour of Bill C-484, the pathetic Trojan Horse, anti-choice legislation otherwise known as the Unborn Victims of Crime Act . Also included is a list of the spineless weasels (the alleged “leader” amongst them) who were conveniently absent from the vote. Neither the Liberals nor the NDP bothered to whip their votes.
Voting For: Raymond Bonin; Gord Brown; John Cannis; Hon. Raymond Chan; Hon. Roy Cullen; Sukh Dhaliwal; Hon. Albina Guarnieri; Hon. Charles Hubbard; Hon. Jim Karygiannis Derek Lee; Hon. Lawrence MacAulay; Hon. Gurbax Malhi; Hon. John McKay; Hon. Joe McGuire; Hon. Dan McTeague; Hon. Shawn Murphy; Massimo Pacetti; Francis Scarpaleggia; Hon. Raymond Simard; Lloyd St. Amand; Paul Steckle; Paul Szabo; Hon. Robert Thibault; Alan Tonks; Roger Valley; Tom Wappel; Borys Wrzesnewskyj
Absent: Stéphane Dion; Bryon Wilfert; Joe Volpe; Scott Simms; Nancy Karetak-Lindell; Hon. Mark Eyking; Ujjal Dosanjh; Denis Coderre; Brenda Chamberlain; Gerry Byrne.
Way to score points with your base Mr. Dion! Bad move… very bad move.
To quote Garth Turner:
“Since an unborn child is not currently recognized as being distinct from the woman carrying it under current law, then this bill would change that, and open up abortion for legitimate review.”
The bill will do absolutely nothing whatsoever to prevent or minimize the egregious sorts of violent crimes it purports to address. In that respect, it’s utterly meaningless. Its sole purpose is deeply cynical and transparently obvious: to advance by stealth the cause of Christian fundamentalists and other “pro-life” (anti-abortion) advocates.
Update: BCL advises that this was misreported by the Globe & Mail the other day as being second-reading of the bill, whereas, in fact, it’s just the FIRST reading. I’m still disappointed in the way this vote was handled by the Liberals, but it does put matters in a somewhat different perspective. A terse rebuke is still in order for those who voted in support of this deeply flawed private member’s bill or who were conveniently MIA. You know where to find their contact info.
Update2: Now (also via BCL and better-informed commenters) it’s learned that the first vote is on the second reading, so the Globe was right after all. Whatever. My disappointment stands.
McBush Campaign Kicks Off
Yeah! Four more years...
I really like this new ad from AmericansUnited. A great way to handle Grandpa Munster. By the way, did you see the presser this afternoon? Stunning. Bush was really at his bumptious finest. “Let me start off by saying that in 2000 I said, vote for me, I’m an agent of change. In 2004, I said, I’m not interested in change — I want to continue as President. Every candidate has got to say “change.” That’s what the American people expect.” McCain could barely get a word in edgewise.
When asked where he he could best be employed to help the McCain campaign, after a bit of harebrained dissembling, Bush reminded reporters of his so-called day job: “I’m focusin’ on, ya know, protectin’
At the end, when a heckler shouted a question about whether McCain would hold regular press conferences, Bush made a snippy remark about the rudeness of “some member of the fourth estate,” at which point the two turned tail and headed back indoors. Not an auspicious beginning.
Anonymous Message To Ralph Nader
Notwithstanding the above, seems Nader has some support.
The folks at Onegoodmove have the clip of him on TDS yesterday.
The Office Values: Episode 1
A unique “training” video prepared for Microsoft U.K., featuring Rick Gervais and David Merchant in personae from the original U.K version of “The Office” series. Gervais is painfully hilarious as the David Brent character, now apparently graduated from Slough branch manager of Wernham Hogg (paper merchants) into a “management consultant” and disastrous motivational speaker, shamelessly angling to become the Managing Director of Microsoft. The last several minutes consists entirely of outtakes with the two actors uncontrollably cracking up.
Mechanischer Bush
It’s in German, but don’t let that put you off. It’s pretty funny.
By the way, just a note about today’s “Daily Snark” clip. I put it there so it wouldn’t get picked up by the Liblogs aggregator. It’s NOT “work safe” as they say. So… you’ve been warned.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Clearification: Episode 1 (A Rare Condition)
A quirky little film apparently made for Windows Vista (go figure) by comedian Demetri Martin who does the “Trendspotting” bits (also called “Professional Important News”) on The Daily Show.
Jimmy Carr: Prank Classified Ads
Tempting...
Here’s one: “Incurable romantic seeks filthy whore.” Heh.
Songs of Praise (With Subtitles)
Translations of popular hymns for the hard of hearing, by the hard of hearing.
Bill Moyers Journal: Sarah Chayes
What an amazing woman. This really is an absolute must see. Straight talk about Afghanistan from someone who knows what she’s talking about. Some of what she has to say might possibly surprise you.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Alberta Election Prediction: Zzzzzzzzz!
Same old, same old... Nothing much will change. Nobody cares. End of story.
Update: What a blowout. A much better result for the PCs than I’d expected. Not quite the “change” Kevin Taft had in mind, I’m sure. Heh. Time to get a new leader and maybe even a new name…
Update2: Poor Dan. Must be disappointing. By the way, the turnout was a woeful 41%. See, I told ya... apathy always wins out in Alberta.
Dona Cadman’s Story
Sure… why not? Sounds about as believable as anything else concerning this shabby affair.
We have a winner!
Oh, and gee, look who it is… (I do so like being right — sometimes, at least.)
Congrats Annie! Nice work.
Meanwhile, inside the PMO...
Stephen Harper and his top legal adviser plot how best to diffuse troublesome allegations swirling around the “Cadman Affair”…
Disclaimer: The foregoing is not intended as an accurate representation of Stephen Harper, Richard Dearden, the Prime Minister’s Office or any other government body. Any reference to the so-called “Cadman Affair” (or “CadScam”) is made with due notation that it may or may not be a pack of specious lies retailed by the widow and daughter of a deceased politician who may or may not have been addlepated by medication during the terminal stages of cancer, or it may or may not be part of an effort to promote an upcoming biography of the aforementioned deceased politician.
President Medvedev… Get Used to It
Why on earth are so many bobbleheads in the mainstream media claiming that his name is practically impossible for them to pronounce? Good grief, is this how witless these spokesbots have become? And at the same time we’re supposed accept their declaration that the Russian election was a fraud and “undemocratic”… Yeah, quite unlike the elections in Afghanistan and Iraq… and, for that matter, America! Give us a friggin break.
Buried lede bonus: “Russia, which has long competed with other powers for influence in Afghanistan, is seeking a greater role in economic projects there…”
Francis Bacon
If you have the interest and/or patience to wade through this dinky but curiously charming old LWT film, it provides some quite intriguing insights into what might be referred to as Bacon’s “insouciant habituations” and his rather petulant, bitchy disposition (quite amusing to see him get progressively drunk at some points — now there’s something you wouldn’t see these days.) His cheerful embrace of a paradoxically optimistic nihilism is also revealed here (although he’s half in the tank when he does so…) If nothing else, you’ve gotta love the intro with the Webber/Paganini Variation…
The Oldest Story in the World?
Seems to make sense to me, but maybe I’m missing something... (This is from the last presidential campaign, by the way... four long years ago.)
Patrick Ross: Caped Crusader! (Updated)
How interesting…
“This isn’t about playing nice with people who won't play by the same rules — it’s about forcing them to, whether they like it or not.
We’ve already revealed a few of them. And if others don’t clean up their act, more will follow.”
Well goody then. I’m sure we’ll soon be seeing the full identities of many right-wing bloggers such as “Joanne” at “Blue Like You” and Fred over at “Gay and Right,” along with “Canadian Sentinel,” and the infamous “Neo” at the “Halls of Macademia,” not to mention a whole pile of others revealed for all to see and publicly scrutinize for whatever purpose seen to be fit, right?
Update: Well, here’s a brilliant new twist for you… In his latest attempt to feebly justify his wild overreaction, Mike Brock now contends that is was the fact that Beemer was using a “work computer” and posting from his place of employment that made him fair game for attempting to ruin his career. Apparently, that’s the “the nuance that everyone is missing.” Um, yeah. Whatever. Bad enough that he shifted the goalposts of his argument by suggesting there was a “contract” involved and, not only that, but an “implied contract” (just to vaguely fuzzify things a bit more), and then obfuscate about the way his new blog software handles “anonymous” comments so… you know… they’re not really anonymous and no sensible person in their right might should have ever taken his plain offer to comment anonymously at face value. And blah, blah, blah…
Also, while visiting Mr. Ross’ Toilet of Assholery, it’s learned that mentioning the act of fellatio is apparently somehow “homophobic” in nature. Way to miss the point by a few million light years. No, the vulgar allegation suggested by Beemer was clearly and quite obviously one of sycophancy; an expression that has long been associated with “sucking dick” because of the inherently submissive connotations common to both acts. Are these people really so profoundly ignorant as to not realize this simple relationship?
Queerer Than We Suppose
Speaking of Wilde’s proposition... Here’s a lecture from the wonderful TED conferences, by Richard Dawkins on “The strangeness of science,” in which he suggests that the true nature of the universe eludes us, because the human mind evolved only to understand the “middle-sized” world we can observe. As an unabashed admirer of David Hume, this is a concept that I find remarkably appealing.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
About That “Civility” Thingee…
From the very same bunch of people who routinely wring their hands in despair and moan so plaintively about the awful “name-calling” and the woeful lack of “civility” in our political discourse these days (blaming it all on the wickedly immoral, “potty mouth” moonbats of the “leftosphere” of course)... Just for fun, here’s a sampling of comments from a mere couple of threads over at Mike Brock’s blog. You know, the same fellow who thought it perfectly justifiable to publicly humiliate someone, destroy his reputation and ruin his career because he got so indignantly outraged about that person figuratively suggesting that he continuously fellates the Dear Leader.
Compiled from remarks made by his “conservative” commenters in the past day or so, herewith are some of the edifying descriptions of “liberals” (or as his fans often prefer to call them, “Leftards” or “Leftbots”) as well as others (hello, Moderates!) who don’t tow the party line:
Hateful; angry; offensive; hypocritical; bullshitters; asswipes; disgusting; stupid; morons; filthy; idiots; demented; wackos; racists; scummy; vicious; trolls; smug; juvenile; cowards; infantile; inarticulate; arrogant; homophobic, homoerotic; intellectually retarded; puss-filled; smear artists; perverts; vile; drooling sycophants; troglodytes; &etc.
I could go on... Doubtless one could mine through the comments of Mr. Brock for many more examples of such high-minded discourse. I must say, it’s more than a little funny how rather selective his sense of outrage and sanctimonious decency is.
This weekend reminded me in a very pointed way of what’s so nasty and off-putting about political blogging. It really does bring out the very worst instincts in some people.
Oscar Wilde is reputed to have said, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Who knows... maybe at the heart of that pithy little epigram resides the critical difference between the Left and the Right.
Why Religion Sucks: Part LXVIII
Pastor John Hagee, the rotund, right-wing, Pentecostal televangelist, founder of Cornerstone Church, and JHM Ministries, who endorses John McCain, and who predicts in his book “Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World” that Russian and Arab armies will invade Israel and be destroyed by God. Israel will then be the site of a battle between China and the West which will be led by the Anti-Christ in his role as the head of the European Union, but then Jesus will return and… as if you haven’t already guessed… Win! Hallelujah!
Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that we’re living in a world gone mad.
Tales from the Service Economy: Pooper Scoopers
Worried about the impending financial tailspin? Err, wait… I mean “recession”… or should that be an “economic slowdown”? Well, whatever. That whole creeping rust-belt syndrome that’s hollowing out our manufacturing sector thanks to skyrocketing oil prices, tanking of the sub-prime housing market, the sinking dollar, the offshoring of jobs to the third-world and burgeoning communist superpowers like China… You know, all that scary stuff that Lou Dobbs incessantly rattles on about.
Well, stop your needless fretting unskilled worker bees, because there are plenty of jobs in the new “service economy”! No, not engineering, computer programming or complex stuff like that requiring education in science and the maths… I mean like the latest new growth industry in the amazing “World of the Future” service sector — cleaning up the turds left behind by the pets of busy-on-the-go professionals of our brilliant “asset class” who don’t have time to bother with pesky details like cleaning up their own dogshit.
Strange Bedfellows
Stop the presses! Hell has frozen over and rural Saskatchewan has been inundated with flying pigs. In other news, Kate McMillan agrees with Ted Kennedy! Yes, when it comes to wind farms, they both think that they’re an eyesore. Somehow related to this selfish NIMBY observation is a story about a recent temporary “electrical emergency” in Texas that was triggered by a drop in wind power generation combined with peak usage related to cold weather. Apparently, this is part of Kate’s ongoing campaign to deride and mock the notion of alternative energy sources at every opportunity. If a turbine fails during a torrential storm somewhere around the world, you can bet SDA will be on the case (with exciting video footage!) suggesting they’re infeasible.
Quite frankly, I find this reactionary attitude, not only with regards to dealing in any constructive sort of way with the effects of climate change, but towards dismissing any fossil fuel alternatives as viable potential solutions, to be quite puzzling. Does the fact that no less a corporate icon, arch-conservative and oil magnate than T. Boone Pickens is building the world’s largest wind farm not perhaps give folks like Kate pause for thought to consider that perhaps they’re backing the wrong horses when it comes to our long-term energy future…?
Real Time: 02/29/08 - Part 1 & 2 (Monologue & Cuban “Election” Results)
Good show with a great panel this week by the way: Harry Shearer, Shashi Tharoor, and Christopher Hitchens. Some interesting discussion about the election, religious belief (surprise!) and Obama’s unique appeal. Apparently, Hitchens is finding himself “a little queer for Obama” which I thought was fairly amusing.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Watching the Detectives: Mike Brock Edition
Who’s Mike Brock, and who cares? Questions of absolutely no importance or interest to anyone, but for the fact he’s the central player in a droll little tale of sleazy political intrigue and hypocrisy…
You see, Mike is a member of “The Blogging Tories” (a group he amusingly describes as “Other Nutty People”), who generously invites commenters at his site to “Sign in to comment on this entry, or comment anonymously”… [Update: This invitation has since been retracted.] Surely, a fair enough proposition, one would think. Ah, but as marketing pros like me know, appearances can be deceiving. As indeed it turns out in this case, because when someone actually took advantage of the offer and commented anonymously to wonder “… how Brock can bear to seperate [sic] Harper’s dick from his mouth long enough to eat?” Mike got his knickers in a bunch about the remark. Galvanized with righteous indignation, he promptly sprung into action, determined to strike back with vengeful fury at the wickedly false suggestion he was unremittingly fellating the Dear Leader.
And who did Mike turn to for technical assistance in helping track down the identity of this villainous cad? Why, none-other than über-blogger Kate McMillan, that gallant freedom-fighter who last year shamelessly defended the rights of a self-proclaimed “full-time Nazi” inciting people to murder homosexuals in the name of God. A small dog breeder and vermin hunter of some renown in the backwaters of rural Saskatchewan, Kate recently teamed up with another would-be champion of “freedom” Richard Evans, a failed municipal politician in Calgary who, when he’s not barbecuing and preparing tasty stir fries, enjoys maliciously hijacking domain names and directing them to the websites of homosexual paedophiles. Together, this dynamic duo of douchebaggery, totally punked that awful Liberal meanie Warren Kinsella using the Holocaust as their blunt instrument of choice. But I digress…
Anyway, through a bit of no-brainer cyber-sleuthing, Kate helped Mike to quickly ascertain the identity of the “anonymous” commenter in question as being one Don Beemer, who… this is the juicy part, boys and girls… turns out to be an executive with the Liberal Party of Canada in Manitoba. Shock! Horror! Well, at least I guess that was supposed to be the intended reaction. Personally, I thought it was pretty yawn-inducing revelation. I mean, so what? First of all, while the comment was vulgar, it was hardly all that shocking or reprehensible. I’ve been checking out some of my newly discovered Bill Hicks videos of late and let me tell you this is pretty tame stuff by comparison. Don’t make me tell you about Barbara Bush’s labia…
Now where was I? Oh yes… So maybe Beemer’s snarky quip was uncalled for, but who knows… perhaps there was a good deal of truth to the suggestion, at least in a figurative sense; I really don’t know enough about Brock’s opinions to say one way or the other. It certainly seems like fair comment to me — something you can take or leave as you please, or in the case of Mr. Brock, simply have deleted, or here’s a stellar idea… blown off with some wittier come-back of his own.
But no… The compulsive urge to “expose” or “out” Beemer with the imagined result of causing deep and possibly harmful embarrassment to the Liberal Party was simply too tempting for Mike to resist, I guess. Well, that’s politics for you; after all, it’s a sleazy, cut-throat business at times. But where Brock really stepped over the line here in my opinion, was in providing details of Beemer’s employment. Disclosing that bit of private information quite unsurprisingly gave other partisan fuckwits (who, ironically go around Liberal blogs trashing site owners using assumed names like “Kai Wolf”) the opportunity to pile on and suggest contacting Beemer’s employer directly to complain bitterly about his extracurricular blogging activities. Look, I don’t care what your political affiliation is, but that really seems beyond the pale. You don’t start undermining someone’s livelihood just because of some petulant, insulting or vulgar thing they wrote anonymously on a blog. Geez. Get some sense of perspective here, folks.
Anyway, that’s my two cents on that matter. But here’s the really ironic gem that prompted this little diatribe in the first place. Keep in mind that in his exposé post, Brock graciously thanked Kate McMillan for her invaluable “research assistance” in tracking down Beemer’s IP number so that he could vengefully excoriate and publicly humiliate him, as well as create all sorts of personal difficulties for Beemer along the way as spiteful payback for his insulting and “demeaning” remark. Well, it turns out that just a few days prior to this incident, Brock had written the following:
“…you know what also pisses me off? People who use their computer skills as weapons.”
Yeah, you know what Mike… that really pisses me off too. Almost as much as deceitfulness, doublethink and flagrant hypocrisy. Maybe your moral compass needs a little adjustment there, bub. Perhaps a “self-awareness” upgrade might be in order too.
End of the Grand Fleet
With the production of “mega yachts” having doubled in the past five years, it’s interesting to learn that the Royal Navy views training the skippers and yacht crews of the world’s ultra-rich tycoons in partnership with a private defense contractor, Flagship Training, as a “commercial opportunity too sweet to pass up.” I’m sure Lords Rodney and Nelson must be spinning in their graves.
The Big Picture: A Discussion About Religion
Here you can see Charles McVety in action, being an obnoxious buffoon and generally pissing off everybody of all religious persuasions.
CFAC Doesn’t Speak For Me!
I can’t possibly add anything to this fulsome diatribe other than to agree that the government has no place making moralistic determinations vis-Ã -vis its cultural funding decisions in accordance with some imagined “family friendly” standards that will undoubtedly wind up being arbitrary, non-transparent, unaccountable and thoroughly Kafkaesque in nature.
For example, one of the so-called “crackdowns” its sponsor is so delighted with includes “significant sexual content that lacks an educational purpose.” Huh? Since when did sex in films need to have an “educational purpose” and by what metric is “significant content” going to be determined? Any self-respecting conservative should find this prudish, sort of state-sponsored “nannyism” to be offensive in the extreme. Under this proposed new regime, a film such as David Cronenberg’s “Crash” (produced with funding in part from Téléfilm Canada) most certainly wouldn’t have qualified for backing due to its controversial subject matter and “significant” sexual content.
To get an idea of the absurd direction where this type of censorship leads, please go watch an earlier post called “This film is not yet rated” that investigates the MPAA rating system. It’s bad enough that the movie industry in America already feels so pressured by the religious Right to voluntarily repress itself in this way without having to formalize and legitimize such censorship through government controls.
Oh, and if you think that the crusading wingnuts at the Canada Family Action Coalition are going to stop at films when it comes to imposing their so-called “conservative values” on government funding for the arts community… well, think again. Thin edge of the wedge, my friends…
Bill Hicks: On Marketing
How did I live this long and miss this guy? Sometimes my ignorance amazes me.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Afghanistan: Now Safe for Buzkashi!
Yes, it seems that when not smoking opium, mutilating women, or enjoying a good old fashioned dog fight, our liberated Afghan friends love nothing more than the national sport Burzkashi, in which teams of horsemen compete to throw a decapitated goat into a scoring circle. And you thought polo was a bit silly...
h/t: Gus Khouri
Bay Buchanan: “Obama has Muslim in his blood”
Why does the right-wing have an almost limitless supply of vicious, batshit crazy termagants at their disposal? It’s really quite a phenomenal thing.
And hey, maybe Wolf should have suggested there was perhaps another reason that John Sidney McCain III is quite happy to eschew the use of middle names…
Clinton’s New “Terra!” Advertisement
This is such a cringe-worthy ad. Perish the thought that the ultimate fate of your otherwise safely slumbering kiddy-winks might actually depend on the instantaneous, split-second reaction of someone being rudely awakened in a frenzied panic at 3:00 AM. Whoever it was, their most likely first response would: “Fuck off!” (Imagine if it was McCain!)
Haven’t we had quite enough of sham terra alerts and needless fear-mongering over the last eight years? “The politics of change”… Yeah, right.
Interesting...
How curious... Now it seems that the secret documents at the heart of the “Shawinigate” conflict-of-interest allegations involving former prime minister Jean Chrétien might be... wait for it: forgeries! Now who on earth do you think might have been behind such wicked malfeasance, fakery and unscrupulous character-assassination? Why, I simply can’t possibly imagine, can you?
Pants O’Fire!
A Dumb Question... (Updated)
At the risk of posing a question that’s maybe as dumb as it is obvious, is it actually possible to purchase a generous life insurance policy in the case of man on the verge of certain death? It’s difficult to see any insurance company going in for such a thing, regardless of how hefty the premium might be (unless it was $1 million, of course). Have any of the papers explored this with insurers to verify what their policies are in this regard?
Update: I mentioned the “not for publication” conversation between Harper and author/journalist Tom Zytaruk reported by the CBC in the comments, so I won’t repeat them again, but Steve V. has them along with some amusing hypothetical responses from Harper.
Clearly Harper was aware of the offer, although he might not have bothered to familiarize himself with the details… Yeah sure, that’s credible. I mean it’s not like he’s a wonk or a control freak, or anything. But let’s suspend our disbelief for a moment and consider the absurdity of tacitly authorizing “legitimate representatives of the Conservative Party” to make some sort of vague offer that he later contended he knew wouldn’t be accepted. “They wanted to do it, but I told them they were wasting their time,” Harper told Zytaruk. Well then what the hell was the point? Moreover, what if Cadman had accepted the offer “to replace financial considerations”? Are we to believe that Harper’s “legitimate representatives” were negotiating an offer, the details of which Harper was unfamiliar with? Sorry, but it doesn’t pass the smell test on any account.
Matt Drudge: Asshole Extraordinaire
Hardly a newsflash, but this abominable little hack has no sense of decency whatsoever. That he would endanger Prince Harry’s life and ruin his military career in the process, all for the sake of some pathetic “World Exclusive” (which ironically it wasn’t, the story had quietly appeared the other month in an Australian women’s magazine, but nobody paid any attention to it) is utterly pathetic.
Afghanistan Close to Failing
From The Guardian: After six years of US-led military support and billions of pounds in aid, security in Afghanistan is “deteriorating” and President Hamid Karzai's government controls less than a third of the country, America's top intelligence official has admitted.
Mike McConnell testified in Washington that Karzai controls about 30% of Afghanistan and the Taliban 10%, and the remainder is under tribal control.
Gee, sure couldn’t see that coming. By the way, did you know that Hamad Karzai’s brother Ahmed Wali Karzai is one of the biggest heroin dealers in Afghanistan? Amazing.
Update: In semi-related news, the Conservative government is going to resume transfer of “detainees” to Afghan authorities. “Both military and government officials in Kandahar say they are satisfied that conditions in Afghan prisons have improved since allegations of abuse were reported in the fall.”
Amnesty International begs to differ: “To think that somehow that’s all been remedied almost overnight ... defies belief and is simply not something that should have happened.”
Archbishop Peter Akinola: “A Man of Peace”
Wayne Bessen writing about a disturbing piece in Atlantic Magazine on religion in Nigeria:
“The article discusses his prominent role in the slaughter of Muslims. Not only did his thugs shoot children, according to the article, they burned mosques, raped pregnant women, burned corpses in the streets and forced Muslims to eat pork and drink booze. Akinola incited the mass violence with a speech in which he proclaimed: "May we at this stage remind our Muslim brothers that they do not have the monopoly of violence in this nation.’”
Amazingly, Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life) has said this about Akinola: “I believe he, like Mandela, is a man of peace and his leadership is a model for Christians around the world.” Uh-huh.
Prison Town USA
The “free world”: For the first time in the nation’s history, more than one in 100 American adults is behind bars, according to a new report.
When Wingnuts Attack … Each Other!
Apologies to Dave Neiwert for lifting his title.
So Battlin’ Bill Donohue, easily one of the most obnoxious and belligerent religious fatheads in America, has blasted John McCain for accepting the endorsement of Texas evangelist John Hagee.
This is almost too funny for words. Now, if you don’t happen to know who Rev. Hagee is, well allow me to edify you with the following:
Once upon a time, John McCain appeared to be a man of principle, a self-styled “maverick” as his swooning admirers amongst the powdered class would have had us believe (never mind all that messy business about graft with the “Keating Five”) who eschewed the religious Right and ripped into Christian televangelists like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, calling them “agents of intolerance” who “shame our faith, our party and our country.”
But alas, no more... As if it wasn’t bad enough that he’s since turned his back on his life-long Episcopalian roots to conveniently disclose in South Carolina (of all places!) that he’s actually a Baptist, and has made sycophantic public amends with Falwell and Pat Robertson… now he’s actually “pleased” about receiving the endorsement of an apocalyptic, Zionist nutter like Hagee… Scary.
The Worst Jobs In History: The Tudors
Pity more of Tony Robinson’s excellent series about the miserable lot of workers down through the ages aren’t available.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Conservative Douchebaggery?
Why I’m shocked… simply shocked, I tell you.
Far be it for me to suggest that the Liberals (or the NDP, for that matter) are lily-white models of virtue in all cases — politics is a notoriously dirty business, after all — but if the allegations surrounding “The Cadman Affair” are true, this is pretty reprehensible stuff.
“It’s a Sick World…”
Jon Swift wonders about some of the other supporters beside Louis Farrakhan that Obama should distance himself from:
“…what about the enthusiastic support he has gotten from Oprah Winfrey? Winfrey is single-handedly responsible for turning the execrable Dr. Phil McGraw into a celebrity. Dr. Phil is one of the most annoying, self-righteous people on television if not the most. What has Obama done to assure those of us who despise Dr. Phil that we will not see even more of him during an Obama Administration?”
Indeed. By the way, with regards to the above-noted clip, is anyone foolish enough to think that Dr. Phil was previously unaware of the revolting sort of business the creator of the “Bumfights” videos was involved with? And then he self-righteously claims that he won’t publicize them… Give me a break.
Long War Inc.
John McCain: “Anyone who worries about how long we’re in Iraq does not understand the military and does not understand war.”
(Alter)native Reality
Hard to fathom Alter’s logic here. Even if Clinton does “go down ugly” it seems to me that her “chance of redemption” is a lot greater having fought a determined last stand in Ohio and Texas than it would be to simply bow out of the race beforehand. My predication… This time next year, Clinton will be the next Senate Majority Leader.
Our Civil Discourse: Those Vile Lefties…
“What’s the difference between the Ku Klux Klan and Arianna Huffignton… what’s the difference?” asks Bill O’Reilly. He then went on to say, “I don’t see any difference between Huffington and the Nazis... No difference. They both want people to die…”
Liberals: We’re Adaptable
Well yes, we are…
Dion’s statement that, “We’ll find a way to not defeat the government and to express our disagreement with this budget” does indeed seem like an ineffectual, maddening sort of pretzel logic, but the budget itself isn’t egregiously awful and the Liberals are in no position to bring down the government at present, so it’s a little facile to criticize him on this basis.
It’s called pragmatism, folks. Get used to it.
Update: Thanks to Dan for the back-link. Meanwhile, over at The “What Do I Know Grit” James Curran belatedly sees the light.
William F. Buckley Jr.: Inveighing He Did Go
It was a little saddening to learn that Bill had passed away the other day at his Connecticut home at the age of 82.
As a young man, I was a devoted, entranced viewer of “Firing Line” every week, and treasured his collections of witty, eloquent and thought-provoking essays that were well-thumbed parts of my library. To me, he was the ideal of a principled, authentic conservative, and I’m quite unapologetic about my deep affection and admiration for the man. You’ll be missed...
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