Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

20 Oct 2009 09:53

tags

Politics: Louis Farrakhan is a big stupid fearmongering idiot

  • The Earth can’t take 6.5 billion people. We just can’t feed that many. So what are you going to do? Kill as many as you can. We have to develop a science that kills them and makes it look as though they died from some disease.
  • Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan • Discussing how the swine flu vaccine is dangerous and you shouldn’t take it because it might kill you. Shut up, you fearmongering jerk. Just. Shut. Up. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2009 23:20

tags

Politics: Our world is full of godless heathens. Let’s be honest about it.

“A Million New Yorkers Are Good Without God. Are You?” What a question. It begs you to respond. An anonymous donor with a lot of money and an inquisitive spirit has a pretty good question to ask New York subway-dwellers starting next week. And it's one bound to attract (depending on your corner) curiosity, debate, criticism or anger. But we say it's a good time to ask. Here's why:
  • At a turning point We’re closer to being a godless society than at any point in our world’s history. The thing is, though, it’s largely not recognized. Millions of people float around without going to any kind of church or actively thinking of religion. We may as well recognize it and talk about it, the heathens we are. source
  • At a turning point We’re closer to being a godless society than at any point in our world’s history. The thing is, though, it’s largely not recognized. Millions of people float around without going to any kind of church or actively thinking of religion. We may as well recognize it and talk about it, the heathens we are.
  • Why should we talk? Simple: It’s happening. And it’s not something that discounts anyone else who is religious or has a strong sense of faith in their lives. But the anonymous donor who wrote this clever ad is way closer to being right than many religious conservatives might like to admit. Let’s be straight-up about it. source
  • At a turning point We’re closer to being a godless society than at any point in our world’s history. The thing is, though, it’s largely not recognized. Millions of people float around without going to any kind of church or actively thinking of religion. We may as well recognize it and talk about it, the heathens we are.
  • Why should we talk? Simple: It’s happening. And it’s not something that discounts anyone else who is religious or has a strong sense of faith in their lives. But the anonymous donor who wrote this clever ad is way closer to being right than many religious conservatives might like to admit. Let’s be straight-up about it.
  • Is this a good thing? Honestly, we’re not sure if this is even going to last. There’s a lot of reasons why religion is great on a purely practical scale – the building of community, for example. But on the other hand, religon often breeds intolerance and tolerance at equal levels. What do you guys think? We’re wondering. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 6 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2009 10:18

tags

Politics: Senator: Should college be a three-year deal, instead of four?

  • The three-year degree could become the higher-education equivalent of the fuel-efficient car. And that’s both an opportunity and a warning for the best higher-education system in the world.
  • Senator Lamar Alexander • Describing why a three-year undergraduate program, rather than a four-year, could become beneficial for students, schools, and parents alike. Alexander suggests that it’s problematic that many school facilities stay closed for nearly half the calendar year. He also notes that by condensing the college experience into three years, it costs less – in the case of Hartwick College, which is trying a three-year program, 25% less. We think there’s social benefits to not pushing college through in three years that Alexander’s not considering, probably because he’s old. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2009 23:23

tags

Politics: Max Headroom: More on the White House’s war against Fox News

  • “Chicago-style”? On Fox News, Bush-era White House strategist Karl Rove suggests that the Obama administration is carrying around an enemies list and is full of Chicago-style politicians. Is that kinda like Chicago-style pizza, Karl? That sounds tasty.

  • “Chicago-style”? On Fox News, Bush-era White House strategist Karl Rove suggests that the Obama administration is carrying around an enemies list and is full of Chicago-style politicians. Is that kinda like Chicago-style pizza, Karl? That sounds tasty.

  • Axelrod’s grinding ax White House strategist David Axelrod continues Anita Dunn’s strategy of trashing on the news value of Fox News. We think that this strategy has a lot of holes in it. And it’s making Rupert Murdoch more money.

  • “Chicago-style”? On Fox News, Bush-era White House strategist Karl Rove suggests that the Obama administration is carrying around an enemies list and is full of Chicago-style politicians. Is that kinda like Chicago-style pizza, Karl? That sounds tasty.

  • Axelrod’s grinding ax White House strategist David Axelrod continues Anita Dunn’s strategy of trashing on the news value of Fox News. We think that this strategy has a lot of holes in it. And it’s making Rupert Murdoch more money.

  • Insuring criticism Republican senator John Kyl may regret saying this. When tackling the Afghan war versus the cost of health care on “Meet the Press,” he says that the uninsured won’t die from the lack of insurance. Yeah man, whatever.

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2009 20:24

tags

Politics: A few big lessons to take from the “Balloon Boy” hoax



As media addicts, we've been watching "Balloon Boy" closely. Not because this story is necessarily a particularly important saga in the grand scheme of things. But culturally, it could be a turning point for how we handle trash culture. Gawker deftly touched on this today, and here are some thoughts of our own:
  • Fame is addictive Despite his obvious failures as a human being, Richard Heene started from a common place – he had an interesting life, someone recognized him for it and put him on TV, and he wanted more. He has lots in common with Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestants in that regard. Heene’s problem is that, in his quest for fame, he became too desperate and manipulative. Not cool, dude.
  • Fame is addictive Despite his obvious failures as a human being, Richard Heene started from a common place – he had an interesting life, someone recognized him for it and put him on TV, and he wanted more. He has lots in common with Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestants in that regard. Heene’s problem is that, in his quest for fame, he became too desperate and manipulative. Not cool, dude.
  • Culture hackers win After the Heene family is punished for their actions, they’re probably going to get exactly what they wanted out of it. They’ve already been paid once for an interview. Richard might get a book deal. When Falcon’s old and screwed up like the rest of us, you know he’s going on Larry King again (if Larry’s still alive). Don’t believe us? Look at Rod Blagojevich’s recent career. Cheaters win. Kinda.
  • Fame is addictive Despite his obvious failures as a human being, Richard Heene started from a common place – he had an interesting life, someone recognized him for it and put him on TV, and he wanted more. He has lots in common with Real World/Road Rules Challenge contestants in that regard. Heene’s problem is that, in his quest for fame, he became too desperate and manipulative. Not cool, dude.
  • Culture hackers win After the Heene family is punished for their actions, they’re probably going to get exactly what they wanted out of it. They’ve already been paid once for an interview. Richard might get a book deal. When Falcon’s old and screwed up like the rest of us, you know he’s going on Larry King again (if Larry’s still alive). Don’t believe us? Look at Rod Blagojevich’s recent career. Cheaters win. Kinda.
  • The media eats itself Why do stories like this get to stick around? Easy. Our popular culture is a series of loops that lock into each other. Something happens on TV, and it gets blogged about 600 times. Something gets blogged about 600 times, and it ends up on Twitter. And then it might end up on TV. While to some degree we enjoy it, we don’t know how to make it stop. Does anyone feel manipulated? We do.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2009 12:20

tags

Politics: Daily Poll: The White House vs. Fox News – is it worth fighting?

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2009 10:50

tags

Politics: They’re Republicans. They fear climate change. They’re hunters.

  • An unexpected GOP offshoot is pushing for a climate bill. While Republicans in Congress are largely angling for big businesses in the climate change debate, a number of groups that don’t traditionally line up with liberal causes are pushing for changes that protect the environment. The National Wildlife Federation’s senior vice president for conservation, Jeremy Symons, noted that climate change was affecting their sport. “If you go out and hunt at the same time in the same season and the same place every year, then you understand the changes that are happening,” he said. In other words, they’re Teddy Roosevelt Republicans. (Those still exist, apparently.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

17 Oct 2009 21:55

tags

Politics: Standing up for Shepard Fairey: Yeah, the guy still has a case

  • Let’s look at The AP’s actual claim. They’re saying that you can’t create ANYTHING that uses their content as mere reference material without paying them. They’ve done similar things with bloggers in the past, and their policies are, in a word, nuts.
  • True/Slant blogger Justin Gardner • On the nature of Shepard Fairey’s fair use claims against the Associated Press for creating the Obama “Hope” poster. Regarding Fairey’s end of the bargain, he says, “Yes, Fairey lying about this was wrong, stupid, etc. Shame on him for that.” Even so, “that doesn’t make his use of the photo copyright infringement.” Gardner goes further to point out that the AP sent the photographer there to shoot GEORGE CLOONEY, not Barack Obama. Because, at the time, Obama wasn’t this iconic political superhero that he is now (or he was in January). • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Oct 2009 21:39

tags

Politics: OK, last bit about Obama’s Peace Prize. But this one’s a doozy.

  • [Yasser Arafat] got the Nobel Peace Prize. Excuse me, a terrorist got the Nobel Peace Prize. Some people deservedly so. You know who else deserved it? Ronald Reagan. And frankly, I would’ve given it to George Bush.
  • Sean Hannity • Making an argument in favor of George W. Bush getting the Nobel Peace Prize. We … we … don’t know what to say. Bravo Sean, you just left us unable to type. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Oct 2009 21:39

tags

Politics: Here’s a big, scary number health insurers want you to be scared by

  • 18% increase in premiums over the next decade – maybe source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>