Month: August 2010

Athenae, Immoral Values7 Comments

‘Demons aren’t lazy, Christians are’

Our children are being taught to worship Satan, you guys: WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A pastor arrested Monday for protesting Warner Robins High School’s “Demon” nickname and mascot says he was just standing up for Jesus — and he’d do it again. Pastor Donald Crosby said the school’s demon logo just encourages children to evil. “I don’t scare easily. Lock me up as many times as you have to lock me up. Even kill me if you have to. I’m standing up for Jesus.” He criticized other Christians who, he says, are singing in church while their children are being … Continue reading ‘Demons aren’t lazy, Christians are’

Adrastos, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks8 Comments

Rand Paul: Wacko in Waco?

Peter Adrastos Athas

Baylor University is a Baptist school in a citadel of wingnutdom, Waco, Texas. It seems like an odd college for the son of a libertarian disciple of Ayn Rand to attend but Paul the Younger spent 2 1/2 years there. Baylor is not exactly known as a party school but Rand knew how to do so. In fact, he was called Randy in those days, which is confirmed by this weird excerpt from a story in GQ: The strangest episode of Paul’s time at Baylor occurred one afternoon in 1983 (although memories about all of these events are understandably a … Continue reading Rand Paul: Wacko in Waco?

Athenae, Political Crack14 Comments

The Professional Left, Robert Gibbs, Would Like To Kick You in the Balls

Sigh: “I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.” The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.” Of those who complain that Obama caved to centrists on issues such as healthcare reform, Gibbs said: “They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president.” The White House, constantly under fire from expected enemies on the right, … Continue reading The Professional Left, Robert Gibbs, Would Like To Kick You in the Balls

Athenae, Economy6 Comments

Criminalizing Being a Teenager

You know, I do get it. Kids are obnoxious. Mr. A and I once looked at an apartment not too far from our local high school, and at the time school had just let out and crowds of students were walking past shrieking and yelling to each other and on their phones and such (with their long hair and their rock music) and we both looked at each other and said, erm, no. (Then we moved next door to crackheads, and I think sometimes it can’t be any better than the kids, really.) But facts are, kids are kids, and … Continue reading Criminalizing Being a Teenager

Adrastos, Television5 Comments

Mad Men Thread: “A patch of new paint’s just as bad as a stain.”

Peter Adrastos Athas

p>Mad Mensneaks up on viewers. Initially, I thought that nothing much happened in episode three until I thought about it and realized that I was wrong; not an unusual phenomenon. I always like it when Don Draper becomes Dick Whitman again: Dick is a pretty nice guy whereas Don is a shitheel albeit a talented one. I don’t know about y’all but I’m under the impression that Anna has a pretty good idea that she’s seriously ill even if her family is “protecting her.” In the past, she seemed very house proud and this time round she didn’t care about … Continue reading Mad Men Thread: “A patch of new paint’s just as bad as a stain.”

Athenae, Faith2 Comments

The Wars Aren’t Over

From the Bloomberg speech that nearly made him a rare Happy Republican Photo last week: “In the mid-1650s, the small Jewish community living in lower Manhattan petitioned Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant for the right to build a synagogue, and they were turned down. In 1657, when Stuyvesant also prohibited Quakers from holding meetings, a group of non-Quakers in Queens signed the Flushing Remonstrance, a petition in defense of the right of Quakers and others to freely practice their religion. It was perhaps the first formal political petition for religious freedom in the American colonies, and the organizer was thrown in … Continue reading The Wars Aren’t Over

Adrastos5 Comments

Editor B On Tales Of The Cocktail

Peter Adrastos Athas

I have a hunch that some of you like cocktails. I know I do as long as they don’t involve vodka. There’s a nifty event in NOLA every summer called Tales Of The Cocktail, which I’ve never been able to attend.This year my friend and fellow NOLA blogger, Bart Everson wrote a splendid series of posts about the event, which he has quite thoughtfully collected in a Tales wrap up post. Bottoms up. Cheers. Skol. —– Continue reading Editor B On Tales Of The Cocktail

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media4 Comments

The Internet Shot Journalism With a Silver Bulllet

If only bloggers weren’t trivializing everything good and serious inour professional news media: The fascination with werewolves dates back to the 19-30’s, with popular movies starring Lon Chaney, Jr. More recently, movies like Van Helsing and the Twilight series have captured the attention of teenagers. They may not be mutating from man to wolf, but Northside school district counselors warn these teens are experiencing transformations of their own: from childhood to adulthood.   Northside School District counselor Dr. Deborah Healy said, “Young people are looking to define their identities, sometimes to come together and affiliate around a theme or an … Continue reading The Internet Shot Journalism With a Silver Bulllet

Immoral Values, Jude12 Comments

Do Douthat Voodoo That You, Uh, Don’t Do Very Well At All, Actually

Really, isn’t this irresistible studmuffin’s very existence threatening to everyone’s marriage? Okay. I’ve resisted saying anything about Ross Douthat for a long time. Really, I have. Buthis latest column is just fucking stupid, even by his spectacularly low standards. AsTBogg has noted, Douthat’s columns are as predictable asA-Team episodes. And, naturally, this one doesn’t disappoint. But the leap he makes is just stunning. It’s the Snake River Canyon of stupid. He methodically goes about demolishing every possible argument against same-sex marriage, then says that monogamous heterosexual marriage is still something better than same-sex marriage. Why? Because the Pope. And Western … Continue reading Do Douthat Voodoo That You, Uh, Don’t Do Very Well At All, Actually

Stupid Republican Tricks, Tommy T3 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – catch-up edition

Good Monday morning, gentle people! While Kibitzer’s out getting the pumps serviced, I thought we’d go back in time a bit and grab some of the overlooked drums of toxic stupidity that were skipped over for other threads – a clean-up missed in the clean-up, if you will. Here we go! First up, it’s – SPLODIN’ JESUS! OBAMA’s FAULT!!!‏ President Obama to visit Ohio; 62-foot statue of Jesus explodes… L.A Times ^ | June 15th, 2010 Posted onTuesday, June 15, 2010 12:11:23 PM byTaraP The White House Tuesday announced that President Obama will travel to Ohio on Friday. Specifics of … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – catch-up edition

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media, War in Iraq6 Comments

Well, It’s All Okay Now, Joe Klein

Joke Line apologizes for being a mealy-mouthed prick, buthey, he didn’t really mean it, anyway: It is appropriate that Obama’s speech to the DAV will not be remembered as vividly as George W. Bush’s puerile march across the deck of an aircraft carrier, costumed as a combat aviator against a golden sunset, to announce — seven years and tens of thousands of lives prematurely — the “end of combat operations.” Obama’s announcement was no celebration. It was a somber acknowledgment that amends will be made to those whose lives were shattered and that their courageous service in an unnecessary cause … Continue reading Well, It’s All Okay Now, Joe Klein

Adrastos, Current Affairs, Malakatude, Television5 Comments

Malaka Of The Week: Tom Shales

Peter Adrastos Athas

There was a whole lotta malakatude this week. There was all the repeal the 14th Amendment nonsense and the pro-Prop 8 crowd and blah and blah and blah. In any event, the candidates were plentiful but I decided to go with someone whose malakatude is of a more recent vintage: Tom Shales. Shales is the Pulitzer prize winning teevee columnist for the Washington Post. I used to be a fan of Shales’ snarky and funny writing style but he’s gone totally wackadoodle on the subject of Christiane Amanpour, which is why he’s the malaka of the week. Shales’ creeping malakatude … Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: Tom Shales

Diary, Doc6 Comments

Shallow Doc

I’m filing this from Denver, where I’m taking part in a journalism convention that isn’t as much fun as the one I did in Minnesota. This time, I’m presenting research and talking about the future of journalism with some truly brilliant people and some people who still wonder if this Internet thing is going to catch on. It’s not all bad as I get to catch up with friends I only see once a year, drink a ton of beer with people who are relatively famous and I even saw both Larry Hagman and George Karl in the airport. Over … Continue reading Shallow Doc

Athenae, Diary5 Comments

Friday Ferretblogging: Seething Dingo Fight Edition

As Claire’s comfort in her new home grows, her patience with the boys tormenting her decreases. She’s figured out they can’t get at her in the tube, and that the entrance to the tube is a defensible position (per Ferret War Command) so she has an escape route when their teasing gets to be too much.  She gets in a couple good swipes at Bucky’s nose now and again with her paws, and at least once a day we break up a furry three-ferret beatdown when the squeaking level rises from “pathetic complaining” to “WTFGETOFFGETOFFGETOFF,” ie, we can hear it … Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Seething Dingo Fight Edition

Adrastos6 Comments

Friday Catblogging: More Awesome Than Jude

Peter Adrastos Athas

Ever since Jude posted the “I am awesome” series (part-1;part-2) Dr. A and I have used “not as awesome as Jude” as a catch phrase. Most things, of course, are not as awesome as Jude. The movieInceptioncame very close to being as awesome as Jude but there’s one member of our family who has no doubt of her superiority to everyone else on the planet. <drum roll> Della Street is more awesome than Jude: Continue reading Friday Catblogging: More Awesome Than Jude

Afghanistan, Athenae7 Comments

What Happens

A “litmus test” on Afghanistan: Reaction to the Time cover has become something of an Internet litmus test about attitudes toward the war, and what America’s responsibility is in Afghanistan. Critics of the American presence in Afghanistan call it “emotional blackmail” and even “war porn,” while those who fear the consequences of abandoning Afghanistan see it as a powerful appeal to conscience. The debate was fueled in part by the language that Time chose to accompany the photograph: “What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan,” pointedly without a question mark. That is exactly what will happen,” said Manizha Naderi, referring to … Continue reading What Happens

Adrastos, BP Oil Spill, Current Affairs

Pistolette Goes Dow’na Road

Peter Adrastos Athas

One of my favorite NOLA bloggers, Pistolette, has written a terrific postthat’s, in part, about growing up in St. Bernard Parish. It was inspired byPicayune man Bob Marshall’s equally terrific series about Delacroix, a small town in da Parish that seems to be on its last legs. Links and jokes about Brett Favre’s member are all got for you so far today. These stories are both more uplifting but, then again, maybe not… Continue reading Pistolette Goes Dow’na Road

Adrastos, Sports8 Comments

Brett Favre Should Retire Something Else

Peter Adrastos Athas

The ickiest story of the day by far comes from Deadspin.com. A woman who was working for the Jets when the QB played for them says Brett isn’t really a retiring sort: in 2008 he emailed her what Deadspin editor AJ Daulerio calls a dong shot. Thump. I was so skeeved out by the story that I felt compelled to share… Via Mary Elizabeth Williams @ Salon. Continue reading Brett Favre Should Retire Something Else

Uncategorized1 Comment

Consequences of Being a Sociopath

You’re not facing them, that’s for sure: Conrad Blackcontrolled around 18% of Hollinger, through a complicated company structure that gave him a higher share of the voting rights. In 2003, the company had an estimated paper value of over £550m. The board of Hollinger International ousted Black in 2004 when theallegations of misappropriation of company funds came to light. The group began to break up that year, with theBarclay Brothers paying $1.33bn (£665m) for the Telegraph group.The Jerusalem Post swiftly followed, with the Israeli publisher Mirkaei Tikshoret paying $13.2m in cash – a significant discount on the $20m that Hollinger … Continue reading Consequences of Being a Sociopath

Athenae, LOL3 Comments

Fun

Too much stupid. Here’s some giggles: “Magical Bosom.” That is all. I first read this story after a particularly disturbing encounter with my own reflection in a restaurant bathroom and it made me feel so much better. I keep it bookmarked so that when I come home from Kohl’s convinced I’ve turned into a lump of sausage and should never leave the house again, I can be reminded that overhead flourescents are the devil’s work. KANGAROO KITTY! WANT! Fuck YEAH! A. —– Continue reading Fun

Adrastos, Music, Political Crack, Television5 Comments

You Can’t Blame Yoko and Linda For This Break-up

Peter Adrastos Athas

There’s been another break-up: the Liberty Leaders, a fife and drum duo who were a fixture at Tea Party events in Colorado. Yeah, I know this is more like when Simon and Garfunkel split up but like that duo these guys re-united and it felt so good. I’m not sure if it will stick but they appeared together on the Rachel Maddow Show last night. The interesting thing is that the Liberty Leaders guys defied musical stereotyping: it was the fifer, not the drummer who was a bit on the dim side. Maybe the fife dude thinks he’s Barney Fife … Continue reading You Can’t Blame Yoko and Linda For This Break-up

BP Oil Spill, VirgoTex10 Comments

Go back to bed America: “Oil from spill poses little additional risk”

News that gets released in the dead of night (actually just past midnight this morning) is seldom good, no matter how much optimism it’s wrapped in. WASHINGTON — The government is expected to announce on Wednesday that three-quarters of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon leak has already evaporated, dispersed, been captured or otherwise eliminated — and that much of the rest is so diluted that it does not seem to pose much additional risk of harm. A government report finds that about 26 percent of the oil released from BP’s runaway well is still in the water or onshore … Continue reading Go back to bed America: “Oil from spill poses little additional risk”