Set Your DVR's To "Colossal!"

Sunday night on the Discovery Channel: The Colossal Squid. Rock on!

"I Can't Wait For Biden To Unload On That Dumb Bitch"

The above quote is from the Howard Stern of the south, Bubba the Love Sponge, who--despite being pretty conservative--is supporting Obama. And the "dumb bitch" is McCain's VP pick, whom I loathe: she's an Intelligent Design supporter.

I think picking her was cynical and crass. As a second runner-up in Miss Alaska, she is now the "7 of 9" of the Republican Party.

What You Won't Hear From Cindy McCain

From Michelle Obama's speech to LGBT activists:

...we can work together to repeal laws like DOMA and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and we can oppose divisive constitutional amendments that would strip civil rights and benefits away from LGBT Americans because discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality.

What are the Republicans going to defend marriage and our military from?

Science Drinks Your Gods

In a letter to Nature, Matthew Cobb and Jerry Coyne sum up what we have been saying for years:

In reality, the only contribution that science can make to the ideas of religion is atheism.

Every mystery explained by experimentation and rationalism makes every god a little bit smaller, a little less relevant, and a little less competent.

Surely science is about finding material explanations of the world -- explanations that can inspire those spooky feelings of awe, wonder and reverence in the hyper-evolved human brain.

And religion?

Religion, on the other hand, is about humans thinking that awe, wonder and reverence are the clue to understanding a God-built Universe. (The same is true of religion's poor cousin, 'spirituality', which you slip into your Editorial rather as a creationist uses 'intelligent design'.) There is a fundamental conflict here, one that can never be reconciled until all religions cease making claims about the nature of reality.

Science drinks religions' milkshake!

Available At CafePress

The Bat-Shit Craziest Episode Of Criminal Intent Yet

Last night was Law & Order: Criminal Intent's last episode of the season. It was also the most insane episode ever. I won't post any spoilers, but I do suggest watching it on replays.

The end had a preview for next season that included footage of Wheeler (from this past season), so one can assume she will stay. It also shows footage of Jeff Goldblum, and it makes a big deal of his joining the show. The best news: the new season starts in November!

Hooray Detective Brundle-Fly!

Typewriter fonts for my font geeks

I really like typewriter fonts. I have to stop myself from just using Courier New all the time, but I am using Bookman Old Style in my classes, which is cool in it's own way - 10 Awesome typewriter fonts for web designers.

Okay this is good Olympic sappiness

The son of illegal immigrants, American wrestler hoists his (the American) flag with pride - link.

Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene

Georgian cease-fire?

It appears Sarkozy and Rice have negotiated a ceasefire and a Russian withdrawal - color me skeptical - Georgia signs cease-fire with Russia on CNN.

"A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country...."

After Russia's invasion of Georgia, what now for the West?
John R. Bolton

At least for now, the smoke seems to be clearing from the Georgian battlefield. But the extent of the wreckage reaches far beyond that small country.

Russia’s invasion across an internationally recognised border, its thrashing of the Georgian military, and its smug satisfaction in humbling one of its former fiefdoms represents only the visible damage.

As bad as the bloodying of Georgia is, the broader consequences are worse. The United States fiddled while Georgia burned, not even reaching the right rhetorical level in its public statements until three days after the Russian invasion began, and not, at least to date, matching its rhetoric with anything even approximating decisive action. This pattern is the very definition of a paper tiger. Sending Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice to Tbilisi is touching, but hardly reassuring; dispatching humanitarian assistance is nothing more than we would have done if Georgia had been hit by a natural rather than a man-made disaster.

Read it all @ Telegraph.

"The Genius Of Charles Darwin" And Dawkins

The BBC recently aired a program called "The Genius of Charles Darwin." I hope it makes it over here, at least in DVD form. But as one should expect, even in the UK believers cried foul and whined.

Here's one ignorant grievance, published in the TimesOnline:

But most believers are not creationists. Some are scientists. They reckon that an omnipotent being capable of giving humans free will is equally capable of setting a cosmic ball rolling - Big Bang, abiogenesis, all that - and letting it proceed through eons of evolution, selection and struggle. One of the oddest aspects of Dawkins's TV programme, rich in antelope-mauling and gobbly snakes, was his emotional implication that, gee, Nature is too cruel to have been invented by God! A wet, mawkish, bunny-hugging argument.

Can you believe that crass stupidity comes not from Alabama, but from the UK?

Dawkins has replied to this bilge, and his response touches on a previous post on this blog.

I expect it’s true that the few believers Libby Purves meets over canapés are not creationists. But “most believers”? Most believers in Bradford? The Scottish Highlands? Pakistan? Indonesia? The Arab world? South America? Indeed, North America? Polls suggest that more than 40 per cent of the British population are creationists. For the subset who call themselves believers, the figure must be considerably more than 50 per cent. Please don’t say “most people”, when what you really mean is Islington and Hampstead Garden Suburb.

I once heard a radio host and creationist say that Dawkins really gets on his nerves. I bet. Theologic excuses are no match for the unintentionally hilarious wit of well-reasoned arguments/sarcasm.

Any Local Coverage????

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - The Air Force said Friday it has modified a $1.65 billion contract with Boeing Co. for work on space launch rockets.
The Air Force said it was adding $516 million to the originally announced $582 million for work on the Delta IV rocket program. The modification also includes the option for $557 million in the next fiscal year.
Shares of Chicago-based Boeing rose $3.17, or 4.9 percent, to close at $67.86 Friday.


I mean, it is the new local rocket, I figure this might get a mention.

Georgia Update

Georgia overrun by Russia in the Daily Mail - an extensive and informative article.

Just for Bromide1701

My own government disgusts me

... American diplomats conceded that the US had few options and ruled out military intervention on behalf of Georgia. "We have no good options," a US National Security Council official told The Daily Telegraph. "We need Russia's co-operation over Iran and derailing that over a localised conflict in Georgia makes no sense. We just have to hope that diplomacy prevails. The next necessary step is for Russia to respond positively to Georgia's ceasefire declaration."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Mikheil Saakashvili, the president of Georgia, "must go". Mr Lavrov said Russia would continue its military action in South Ossetia due to the "continuing direct threat to Russian citizens".

Yes, Putin, (& his stooge, Medvedev) are so obviously our trusted allies & have been so helpful in containing Iran's nuclear ambitions that we daren't stand up for the staunchly (& demonstrably) pro-US Georgians, who are merely a "localized conflict". That the elected president of Georgia "must go" is certainly out of concern for the well-being of Ossetians, and not a blueprint for what will come to other former parts of the Soviet Empire- no need to worry your little heads, Ukrainians....

An interesting WaPo editorial from 2006: Russia's Shadow Empire.

Russia Engages Its Black Sea Fleet

Russia has steamed several warships from its Black Sea ports, including one from the Ukraine. The warships have turned away shipments of grain to Georgia; the naval blockade has begun.

My military/foreign policy sources have posted that the Ukraine (who are Georgian sympathizers) have privately told the Russians that if any Russian warships leave Ukrainian ports, they should not expect to be allowed back. The Ukraine leases the ex-Soviet ports to the Russians, and this move may mean that the lease is now up.

The Russian Black Sea fleet is not much more than a bunch of rusted-out early 1980s-era coastal defense ships, but they still have cannons and some (questionable) anti-ship missile capabilities. But since NATO can't enter the Black Sea, even small cannons and corroded missiles can rule the waters there.

Let's give it up to French President Sarkozy, as we hope his enormous balls end this Russian aggression.

Russia-Georgia

For months, Moscow's successive provocations in Georgia have left observers suspecting that it was provoking a war in the Caucasus. It seems to have finally gotten what it wanted. The Kremlin's blatant aggression puts at stake not only the future of the most progressive state in the former Soviet Union, but the broader cause of European security.
In recent years, the Kremlin had escalated its interference in Georgia's territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - bombing Georgian territory twice last year, illegally extending Russian citizenship to residents there, and appointing Russian security officers to their self-declared governments. South Ossetia's government in particular is practically under Moscow's direct control, with little if any ability to act independently.
But this flare-up is a direct consequence of Russia's deliberate and recent efforts to engage its small neighbor in military conflict. In April, Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree effectively beginning to treat Abkhazia and South Ossetia as parts of the Russian Federation. This land grab was a particularly galling move because Russia is in charge of both the peacekeeping operations in the conflict zones, and the negotiations over their political resolution. The mediator had now clearly become a direct party to the conflict.
Moscow then sent paratroopers, heavy weapons and other troops into Abkhazia. Although these measures constituted military occupation of Georgian territory, Georgia failed to respond militarily. Instead, with European aspirations in mind, Georgian leaders listened to western calls for restraint, and put their faith in half-hearted western diplomatic initiatives.
Having failed to provoke Georgia to a war in Abkhazia, the Kremlin then tried in South Ossetia. Its proxies, the Ossetian separatist forces, escalated their attacks on Georgian posts and villages, making a response inevitable. Predictably, Moscow claimed a right to intervene, pouring Russian tanks into the area and bombing Georgian territory - including the country's capital. But why would Russia seek a war in the Caucasus, and why does it matter?
Georgia's position astride the western access route to the Caspian sea's energy reserves and Central Asia give it geopolitical significance. Moreover, Georgia represents exactly what Moscow does not want to see on its borders: a country both independent and increasingly democratic. Moscow instead seeks submission, preferably by authoritarian rulers that it can manipulate.
Yet the decisive factor was Georgia's efforts to gain Nato membership, a move in tune with the country's progress in consolidating democratic rule. Angela Merkel's statement that a country with unresolved conflicts can't enter Nato helped, too: it sent Russia a signal that it could prevent Georgia's Nato membership simply by stirring conflict.
Moscow's military adventure has far-reaching implications. To leaders in Ukraine and the Baltic states, it sends signals that it seeks to re-establish control in the former Soviet space. Probably correctly, leaders there assume they are next in line. More deeply, Russia's land grab threatens to return parts of Europe to the politics of territorial control of previous generations, negating the promise of integration and cooperation that the EU represents.
Russia's behaviour is incompatible with its aspirations to be a respected world power. Indeed, thoughtful people will find parallels between this and earlier incidents of Russian land seizures when it thought people were looking elsewhere. – the Baltic crisis of 1939, Finland, and post-second world war Iran come to mind. With most western leaders at the Olympics or on holiday, Moscow's efforts to establish a fait accompli in the Caucasus cannot be allowed to stand.
So far, the West's reaction has been inadequate. Rather than standing up for their own principles, western leaders think they can improve Russia's behaviour by appeasement, fearful of threatening relations with an undeniably powerful Russia. But by doing so, western leaders have unwittingly encouraged the most irresponsible elements in Moscow, whetting the hardliners' imperial appetites by not attaching any costs to their excesses. That in turn inexorably leads to a worsening of Russia's relations with the West.
Paradoxically, standing up to Moscow is not only the right thing to do in this crisis, but the best way to improve relations with Russia in the long term. For only a Russia that abandons its imperial agenda and respects its neighbors, irrespective of size, can be a true partner for the west.
It is now important for western leaders to realise that their silence so far has only encouraged Moscow's aggressive behaviour, and that they must now stand in solidarity with Georgia – in deeds, not only in words. Whether they do so will determine the future not only of the Caucasus, but also for Europe's security.
About this articleClose
Svante Cornell: The EU and the US should back Georgia against Russia's war-mongeringThis article was first published on guardian.co.uk on Friday August 08 2008. It was last updated at 19:29 on August 08 2008.

Movie Review: Concentration Camps CAN Be Funny

I managed to catch Life is Beautiful the other night on cable, and it is--honestly--one of the funniest movies ever.

The film reflected the comedies of the 1940's, as the plot followed the saddest tragedy of that era. Those two contradictions juxtaposed took the film to an elevated comedic and dramatic level. I giggle any time I think of several scenes...I also get choked up at others. And--the true measure of any great film--I laughed AND got choked up at the ending.

"We won!!!"

1000 points gets a tank, complaining loses you 10 points...

Religulous- Previews

Looks like this might be worth a look..........



It is going to be quite fun watching film critics in the MSM tackle Religulous, the anti-religions (re: not anti-organized religions) documentary from director Larry Charles (Borat) and Bill Maher. Reviewing this film practically demands that one states his/her personal beliefs—sort of like with Iraq War docs, but, you know, bigger—and judging from two of the first reader reviews on AICN, Maher doesn’t leave much wiggle room: it’s the “you do” or “you don’t” proposition. And unlike Ben Stein’s Expelled, Religulous will have a much higher media profile when it’s released this October.


http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/08/05/religulous-reviews-hit-web/

Response Video

I know we all hate her as a skank and the end of western civilization, but the P.Hilton response video is funny, and hard to find. So: link. For reference - the original ad.

His campaign is run by out-of-touch morons who thought this was a good idea.

Fags Burn WBC

In case you haven't heard, things got hot last weekend at the Westboro Baptist Church (aka, the God Hates Fags church). You must watch this video:
http://www.signmovies.net/videos/news/2008/20080802thankgodforwbcfire.html
Preacher Fred Phelps is just precious!

Font freaks - you know who you are.

7 Fonts that should die

From the post: If you're guilty of keeping these fonts on life support, it's time to broaden your repertoire. Check out some of the cool and useful fonts at urban fonts, Font Freak, dafont or 1001Fonts.com.

On The Topic Of The Military...

If you didn't catch any of the foul, foul wind coming from the House's hearings on gays in the military, consider yourself lucky. Jon Stewart sums it up:

On Second Thought...

In a move Wired called, "[an] outbreak of common sense in the Navy's former fantasyland," the Navy wants out of the DDG-1000 destroyer program. Two have been funded and construction has begun on the first one, so--if the Navy gets its way--we'll only procure two of them.

[Very accurate concept art: two DDG-1000s. Only two.]

I've never been a fan of this program for various reasons, so I'm happy. I think it's great that the Navy, after having defended the multi-billion dollar warships to Congress only four months ago, did an abrupt about-face and told Congress last week that it no longer feels that it really needs them. This move was a huge "FUCK YOU!" to the administration (who has been pitching a tent over this thing since Rumsfeld came in and scrapped previous plans for this class), Congress (who have been covering for the gross failures and cost overruns by shipbuilders), and the shipbuilders (who have been drooling over this potential cash cow for a decade).

The Navy says that, when asked, admirals stated they would prefer 8 DDG-51 Arleigh Burke destroyers to 2 DDG-1000 destroyers. Of the many reasons cited, the DDG-51's advanced theater ballistic missile defense capabilities, extreme reliability, and versatility ranked the highest. So the Navy is asking Congress to fund 8 more DDG-51s, and has stated that any more DDG-1000s should be built only if Congress increases the Navy's shipbuilding budget (which has been frozen for years now) appropriately. In other words, the Navy doesn't want to pay for them out of its current budget. At ~$4 billion a copy, who can blame them.

[The ship you'll see the most if you go to any Navy base: the DDG-51s. We have 56, with 6 more coming and, now, 8 more proposed.]

Meanwhile, it's bad news-ok news for the Navy's other new warship program, the LCS. Mobile, AL shipbuilder Austal is in deep shit with the Navy for it's lack of auditing during construction of General Dynamics' prototype.

[The cooler-looking General Dynamics LCS. Made in Alabama. Once. Eventually.]

Also bad for Our Fair State, Israel picked GD's competitor's ship.

[Two Lockheed Martin LCSs, which is what we should have gotten for the cost of the first one. Israel wants four.]

The good news is that both LCS prototypes should be in sea trials later this year, and their much-touted interchangeable "mission modules" are finally starting to near completion.

Not Entirely Accurate, But Funny