I don’t even know what to say. Honestly, I’m so mad right now, I could kill.

Just watch it.

I want to see the Bush apologists explain this one. I’m all ears.

Technorati Tags: department of homeland security, bullshit

During the days of the USSR, the Soviet government engaged in an anti-alcohol campaign. Some of the posters are simply stunning. Here’s a link to a bunch of them.

via my friend Aleks who runs a great design company

Technorati Tags: soviet, alcohol, ussr, alcoholism

From Valleywag:

Publisher Tim O’Reilly writes a lengthy response to the Web 2.0 (TM) shitstorm. The upshot: Yes, O’Reilly wants to own the name “Web 2.0 Conference.” He’s also disappointed in you all.

Anyone notice how much Tim O’Reilly sounds like Dave W[h]iner?

Technorati Tags: valleywag, tim o’reilly, o’reilly, web 2.0

Here we go.

After a huge public brouhaha over O’Reilly harassing the organizers of a conference that used Web 2.0 in its name, Tim O’Reilly comes out doing major damage control, deflecting blame, and exposing his ass for the rest of the web world to kiss.

All I can say is give me a damned break. You tried to flex your corporate muscle, got smacked down for being a hypocrite and now you’re backpedalling.

Don’t worry. There are plenty of sycophants out there dying for you to like them.

I’m not one of them. You got what you deserved, and your backhanded swipes at the “mob” are proof positive that in the end you don’t think you really did anything wrong, nor do you have anything to apologize for.

Screw you.

Technorati Tags: o’reilly, web 2.0

Jeff, who’s not a Catholic apologist by any stretch of the imagination, writes about Pope Benedict, and makes a lot of sense…

[E]very little boy in Nazi Germany was in the Hitler Youth. It would have been amazing had Benedict stood up and said no. If he had he would have been a martyr though. I’m no hardcore Catholic. I have no problem listening to a honest critique of the Pope or Catholicism. It just seems a little much to ask a boy to stand up to the facism of Nazi Germany at the age of 14.

‘Nuff said.

Technorati Tags: pope, catholicism, benedict

If you like some cheese with your whine, read the followup to the bum laptop story I wrote about…

Technorati Tags: laptop guy, amir Massoud Tofangsazan

How can you not love the Nintendo DS? Every game that comes out is simply awesome, and this one looks no different.

The Starfox series, one of the best parts of owning a Super Nintendo, and one of few highlights on the Nintendo 64, looks to be a killer addition to an already insanely strong DS lineup.

Apart from maneuvering through 3D landscapes and blasting enemy ships to smithereens, you’ll be able to draw routes on the bottom screen for your teammates to follow as they assist you in taking over enemy bases. We assume that’s where the “Command” part comes in.

As for Nintendo Wi-Fi, up to 4 players can duke it out online, with a more impressive number of 8 being relegated to local wireless play.

I can not wait. Yet another must-own DS game. For those of you keeping score, that’s DS 1,213,175… PSP: 0.

Technorati Tags: starfox, nintendo, nintendo ds

Harry Reid, who had lots to say about Jack Abramoff and corruption seems to have no problem accepting, er, “gifts.”

As he was considering legislation designed to give the federal government a larger say in boxing (which is currently controlled by individual states), he took seats at ringside on multiple occasions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. You would think that’s the best part of the story, what with Harry Reid coming out guns ablazes about the corruption he saw in others. It really does get better, and you needn’t look any further than his bogus-assed reasoning.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission to three professional boxing matches while that state agency was trying to influence him on federal regulation of boxing.

Reid took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 as he was pressing legislation to increase government oversight of the sport, including the creation of a federal boxing commission that Nevada’s agency feared might usurp its authority.

He defended the gifts, saying that they would never influence his position on the bill and he was simply trying to learn how his legislation might affect an important home state industry. “Anyone from Nevada would say I’m glad he is there taking care of the state’s number one businesses,” he said. “I love the fights anyways, so it wasn’t like being punished,” added the senator, a former boxer and boxing judge.

Senate ethics rules generally allow lawmakers to accept gifts from federal, state or local governments, but specifically warn against taking such gifts — particularly on multiple occasions — when they might be connected to efforts to influence official actions.

So. To summarize, Harry Reid took ringside seats including recently at a premiere fight not because he was just accepting a gift and going to the fight, but because it was part of an economic impact study.

Could his excuse be any flimsier? Honestly.

Let’s deal in reality here. Harry Reid could have done the same research with reports and paperwork. He didn’t need to sit ringside at a championship fight. In fact, I can’t think of one thing he could have possibly learned about the industry, the sport, or the Nevada State Athletic Commission, or how regulating boxing federally would affect his state’s economy.

I’m open to suggestions if anyone else could explain it.

The worst part? He’ll get re-elected and continue on with his witch hunt against others while accepting lots of “gifts.”

Then again, that’s usually the way things go.

Technorati Tags: harry reid, corruption

Simon Cowell was none-to-pleased with Prince’s diva attitude after his appearance on the American Idol finale.

The following is from Contact Music via Drudge:

AMERICAN IDOL judge SIMON COWELL has turned his famous barbed comments on PRINCE after being appalled by the pop superstar’s surprise performance at the show’s finale last week (24MAY06). The PURPLE RAIN hitmaker took to the stage at the Kodak Theatre for a quick run through two new songs before dashing off, refusing to meet the Idol contestants or greet the audience. Idol host RYAN SEACREST has since reported that he feared Prince would be a no-show - because he appeared just minutes before he was due to hit the stage. And Cowell insists Prince’s attitude isn’t one he’d like Idol winners to display at any time in their career. He says, “It just tells you how selfish he is. He comes on, not a word - ‘I’m not gonna sing with anybody else, I’m not gonna say goodbye.’ Thank you for your generosity, Prince.”
30/05/2006 20:23

Jeez. Something tells me Simon and friends won’t be inviting Prince back for next year’s finale.

Just a guess.

Technorati Tags: simon cowell, prince, american idol

(Apparent) Christians who have been holding prayer vigils outside a porn shop have decided to take a page out of the handbook of terrorism and poison the people working there…

“Weapon of Mass Destruction” Targets Sex Shop In Waldo
5/29/2006 11pm report

By Grayson Kamm
First Coast News

WALDO, FL — Detectives say it’s an act of local terrorism. An adult bookstore is cleaning up after a chemical attack by a homemade device that investigators are calling a “weapon of mass destruction.”

In Waldo, people have held prayer vigils and protests aimed at an adult bookstore along US 301, trying to keep the “Cafe Risque” from opening its doors on time.

Those efforts have all failed, so investigators say it looks like someone has turned to what they’re calling a clear act of terrorism to keep the store’s owner from opening up shop.

The device, discovered Sunday morning, was made of two gallon-size sports drink jugs connected by hoses. Someone set it on top of the store’s window air conditioning unit.

Detectives say that person then strung one hose from a water spigot on the outside of the building, and pushed another hose into the building through a gap above the air conditioner.

“That water hose would churn it up, mix it up in the gallon jug, and enter it into the building,” said Alachua County Sheriff’s Sergeant Keith Faulk. Investigators say one of the jugs had a harmful substance inside that flowed into the store along with the water.

Find out who it is and throw the book at ‘em, hard, and send a loud and clear message that we don’t just go after terrorists named Abdul or Kamil.

But, when you throw the book at them, just make sure it ain’t a Bible

Technorati Tags: terrorism

Here are some choice quotes from a news story by the AP.

Republicans are three steps from a November shellacking _ each a grim possibility if habitually divided Democrats get their acts together.

First step: Voters must focus on the national landscape on Nov. 7 rather than local issues and personalities that usually dominate midterm elections.

That would sting Republicans, who trail badly in national polls.

Second step: Voters must be so angry at Washington and politics in general that an anti-incumbent, throw-the-bums-out mentality sweeps the nation.

That would wound Republicans, the majority party.

Third step: Americans must view the elections as a referendum on President Bush and the GOP-led Congress, siding with Democrats in a symbolic vote against the Iraq war, rising gas prices, economic insecurity and the nagging sense that the nation is on the wrong track.

That would destroy Republicans, sweeping them from power in one or both chambers and making Bush a lame duck.

Okay… Thanks for the political consult! Remember, this is not an opinion piece. Fournier apparently is a wannabe Democrat strategist. In fact, I’m gonna reprint the whole thing after the jump just in case it mysteriously vanishes. Remember, remember, remember, this is not an opinion piece.

Try to imagine a piece of a similar nature on the AP wire about Republican strategies for winning elections.

Read More »

Right on the money as usual…

Technorati Tags: penn and teller, penn & teller, bullshit

Peacefilms.org is a leftwing mouthpiece anti-war site, a true rarity in this day and age. They featured a former US Army Ranger on their site berating the war, the President, and everything else under the sun. His supposed military credentials were supposed to enhance his credibility.

Originally the outrage with MacBeth was that he was attacking the army in such a vicious and vindictive way.

Then something happened. People started noticing problems with MacBeth’s uniform, so he posted a redacted service record which contained numerous clerical mistakes, spelling mistakes, and so on.

The story has blown up beyond all comprehension and has ended up with another leftist anti war fake military guy being debunked. Read more about it on Hot Air.com. The guy gets utterly disassembled.

Here’s the video from Hotair.com also.

Technorati Tags: jesse macbeth

If they didn’t, your ass would most certainly be sore after getting your car fixed at a few California Jiffy Lubes.

KNBC did a hidden camera sting on Jiffy Lube and uncovered what many people already suspect about car mechanics to begin with; that they aren’t the most reputable people on the planet.

Video Part 1
Video Part 2
Video Part 3

One thing that I found striking was the spokesdroid and her constant “we’re going to retrain these people” mantra. Is it really necessary to retrain people not to steal from customers? I mean, call me Captain Obvious here, but the idea that training is the answer to this problem is insane.

Now shitcanning the “District Manager” seems like a much more appropriate response (which they did in fact do), but how out of touch do you have to be when training is the best you can come up with in response to systematic theft at multiple locations in your chain?

Be careful out there, folks.

via Consumerist

Technorati Tags: jiffy lube, fraud, knbc, sting

The AP cracks me up. In an effort to provide a healthy dose of moral equivalence, they’ve apparently taken to planting photographers with terrorists.

Here’s the caption from that photo:

A Palestinian militant lies dead next to a homemade rocket prepared to be fired into Israel after he was killed by Israeli army gunfire in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip early Tuesday May 30, 2006. An Israel Air Force helicopter fired also a missile after the gunfight. At least three militants were killed and four other people were injured during the two attacks, Palestinian security and hospital officials said. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Reality check time: we all know what “militants” are. Now the question is why was an AP reporter standing next to this piece of scum about to fire a rocket into Israel? We all know where those rockets end up. Haifa, Tel-Aviv, etc. Not exactly military installations or defense centers.

Has the AP resorted to doing ride-alongs with terrorists so they can get a shot of them committing acts of terrorism and attacking civilian targets?

Really makes you wonder.

(picture via lots of sites in my feeds)

Technorati Tags: ap, terrorism, isreal, palestinians

In light of Sony’s announcement that the PS3 was officially going to cost an arm, leg, and left testicle, Joystiq ran a poll asking which combo of devices were people considering in light of the enormous entry costs of owning a PS3 and the fact that you could buy an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii for less than a PS3.

Apparently Joystiq readers see that as the obvious solution.

Let’s not kid ourselves here, folks. Sony is blowing it big time charging as much as they intend to for the PS3, and people are not going to tolerate it at all. They’re going to pass on it like they passed on that other paperweight, the PSP, and Sony’s reign as king of video games will be a distant memory.

Technorati Tags: sony, ps3, nintendo, wii, microsoft, xbox360

Imagine for a minute you go to the store. You buy yourself a beautiful filet mignon, but when you get home you realize you can’t fit that filet mignon into your freezer, so you knock on your neighbor’s door and ask if they can keep it in their freezer until you want to cook it. Of course this isn’t a problem, so your neighbor says “Okay! Sure!”

Five minutes later the farmer who grew the meat comes a knocking on your door. He tries to tell you that you storing the filet mignon in a freezer other than your own violates your meat agreement.

Stupid? Sure it is. If you’re going to eat it at home, what difference does it make where you store it?

Don’t tell Hollywood that.

Cablevision came up with a great idea. Since they have enormous amounts of bandwidth, they decided that instead of throwng a hard drive into every DVR box, they would develop a network DVR where you would record your programs and they would be stored remotely on Cablevision servers, and streamed to you as you wanted to watch them.

Simple idea.

Of course Hollywood ain’t happy with it. As with any other idea that makes your life easier, Hollywood is against it. They claim that Cablevision is creating an “on-demand” service without paying the proper licensing fee, failing to realize of course that you aren’t ordering programs but instead watching what you’ve already recorded.

This oughta be interesting. With the Congress firmly in the pockets of Hollywood special interests (and continually acting under the guise of intellectual property protection), I have a feeling Cablevision is facing a massive uphill battle.

Technorati Tags: cablevision, dvr

Wow… You don’t realize how many of these you’ve seen until you see them in a list all together.

Good stuff from CNET News.com as always.

Technorati Tags: stock photography

Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch simply smacks the living crap out of Dean Esmay and catches him in a blatant contradiction all at the same time. If you’ve never witnessed a web smackdown before, you can hold this one up for all eternity as one of the greats.

I’m not even gonna bother summarizing it or pulling quotes, save for this one:

Anyway, Esmay has entangled himself in an insuperable contradiction: he has admitted that no “mainstream school of Islamic thought…completely rejects holy war (violent jihad).” Then he renews his accusation that I am taking “the most tendentious and pernicious interpretations” of Islamic scholarship and declaring “that these are the inescapably correct views.” Well, if no mainstream school of Islamic jurisprudence rejects violent jihad, then violent jihad is the Islamic mainstream — and it is not I who am cherry-picking among Islamic texts to create my own private Islam.

Just go read the whole thing. Also take note of the two comments where Spencer’s readers also lay into Esmay for his assinine (and obviously uneducated) assertion that the Bible doesn’t condemn slavery so therefore we should still have slaves. Even though Spencer demolishes that red herring, the readers found specific Bible passages that do, in fact, condemn slavery.

Woops.

Technorati Tags: robert spencer, dean esmay

Okay. Here’s the deal. It’s completely vulgar, and unbelievably crass, and, of course, I found it hysterical.

In a story about AIDS “work” failing (ya know, education, prevention, etc.) on Gothamist, there was this utter gem.

Reprinted after the jump:
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