Minister of Science and Chief Protector of the Faith

Friday, August 31, 2007

Mother Jones: "How Conservatives, Contractors, and Developers Cashed In on Katrina"

 

Here is the story that the news is not telling you about Hurricane Katrina and the destruction of New Orleans. Mother Jones has compiled a timeline of how this disaster became a cash opportunity for conservatives, broken down into bite-sized chonological pieces. Republican values are all about stealing money from needy families in a time of crisis.
 

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Supergirl Loves Dr. Zaius! Alas, It was all a dream...    

 
And then I woke up, Darn it.
 

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

John Bolton Called...

 
He wants his nerve gas back.

NEW YORK -- Potentially dangerous chemicals were found in vials in a United Nations Office building and FBI, NYPD and FDNY hazardous materials responded to remove them Thursday. U.N. officials said the vials were found at 866 East 48th Street and possibly included one vial of phosgene, a chemical warfare agent. WNBC
 

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This Just In...

 
 

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Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator has Sent me a Pie!

 
I would like to personally thank Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator for sending over this delicious banana cream pie! I seem to have had a little trouble getting it out of the box, though. Do you think that you could send another? Make it two!
 

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"Confessions of the Lovelorn" with Dr. Zaius

 
 

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Welcome back, Senator Johnson

 

'It's good to be home'
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) accepts applause as he makes his first public appearance Tuesday after experiencing a life-threatening brain hemorrhage eight months ago. Supporters and his daughter, Kelsey, and granddaughter Trualem (left) helped welcome him in Sioux Falls, S.D. "Wow, You guys are a sight for sore eyes," he said. "It's good to be home." (AP photo by Dirk Lammers / August 28, 2007) Chicago Tribune

Johnson's return puts the number of senators that vote with the Democrats at 50. We now only need 17 Republican votes to break the president's veto.
 

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Lieutenant Ilia is a Neocon!

 
 

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Don't Forget to Flush Before you Go-Go

 
Wham! star George Michael has come out in defense of Republican Senator Larry Craig after the senator recently pled guilty to disorderly conduct after his arrest earlier this summer in a Minneapolis airport men's room.

"You can't flush away a man's entire career because of a few bathroom hijinks." Michael said. "The senator didn't do anything I wouldn't have done. I for one would like to stand firmly behind a man that takes such a wide stance on the important issues of the day."
 

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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

It's Gonna be the Best Surge Ever! Part II

 
The White House is determined to get another $50 billion for the surge in Iraq, and is willing to use as much anecdotal evidence and unsupported statistics as it takes to get it! The surge is working so well that sectarian attacks in Iraq have nearly doubled in the past year!

Luckily Gen. David Petraeus has been able to get the recent intelligence assessment of Iraq toned down:

The NIE, requested by the White House Iraq coordinator, Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, in preparation for the testimony, met with resistance from U.S. military officials in Baghdad, according to a senior U.S. military intelligence officer there. Presented with a draft of the conclusions, Petraeus succeeded in having the security judgments softened to reflect improvements in recent months, the official said. CBS News

With a little luck, and a heaping helping of creative rhetoric and Petraeus can convince congress and the American public that it will be $50 billion well spent!

[...] [Petraeus has] obviously been treating the September report like a military operation, trying to generate as much good press and congressional change of heart as he possibly can in the weeks leading up to 9/11. I now expect him to provide just the opposite of what I thought before: a consistently upbeat report studded with just enough accomodations to reality to keep him from seeming completely ridiculous. CBS News


 

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A National Disgrace

 

It is the Two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the destruction of New Orleans, and Google News is focusing on how President Bush is commemorating the event, but did not seem to have much room for headlines that discussed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They did seem to find room amongst their carefully chosen headlines for a Washington Post editorial by Steven Pearlstein about how we should just ignore poverty in the United States, though. Thank you, mainstream media!

On the other hand, Jess Wundrun recently posted about two amazing things that she learned about New Orleans. Go check it out!

Bloggers seem to be able to do in their pajamas what Google News can't seem to do with their entire crack staff of White House crotch sniffers in starched collars and penny loafers.

Two years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, "none of the 115 'critical priority projects' identified by city officials" for publicly funded rebuilding efforts "has been completed." Of the $34 billion "earmarked for long-term rebuilding," less than half "has made its way through federal checks and balances to reach municipal projects."

45 percent: Number of Americans who believe "at least some progress has been made" in rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Just nine percent say there has been "a lot of progress." Among blacks, just two percent believe there has been a lot of progress. Think Progress

Blogger Extraordinaire Blue Gal has found the appropriate symbol for the occasion, from suspect-device.com, via Online Blogintegrity.


Online Blogintegrity has also posted an interesting link from first-draft.com, that has two videos that are meant to be played simultaneously that clearly show that almost nothing has been done for large segments of the population there.

UPDATE: Here is a great link from Crooks And Liars, "George Bush’s Ethnic Cleansing of New Orleans: A Katrina Second Anniversary In-Depth Report".

UPDATE: Phydeaux Speaks has written a great post to "commemorate" this Unhappy Anniversary.


Two years later, Hurricane Katrina still haunts Gulf Coast
A woman reads names of victims of Hurricane Katrina at a memorial in St. Bernard Parish, La., on Wednesday, two years to the day after the storm hit the area. In nearby New Orleans, prayers, protests and a lingering disgust with the government's response to Katrina marked the disaster's second anniversary, with a presidential visit doing little to mollify those still displaced by the storm. At a memorial mass in the French Quarter, one resident said: "The fabric of this city will never be the same." (Getty Images photo by Chris Graythen / August 29, 2007) Chicago Tribune
 

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

George Bush Admits That He is an Atheist

 

"I don't believe you murder innocent people to achieve political objectives and be a religious person. I just don't believe that." Remarks by the President at Friends of Dave Reichert and Washington State Republican Party Reception, whitehouse.gov
 

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A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Rumpus Room...

 

I was on my way to meet Ms. Greagarious and the girls for Mai Tai's in the Rumpus Room, when suddenly I was surrounded by a Robot Army of Jimmy Olsens!


It would seem that the Evil Dr. Monkerstein created these foul cub reporters in his latest attempt to influence the mainstream media.


I was outnumbered, so I had to think fast! I was staring at a sea of freckles and...


...Bow ties! Goddamned bow ties!


...I freakin' hate Bow ties!


I lunged to the left, and then to the right...


The tide seemed to turn against me for a moment...


But finally I got the upper hand.


But just when I thought I had things under control, I looked to the horizon...


...And there stood an entire army of Jimmy Olsen Transformer© robots!

 

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Blue Gal is the ginchiest!

 
Just a quick shout out to Blue Gal. Thank you for all that you do for us bloggers! Blue Gal is the ginchiest!
 

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Monday, August 27, 2007

My Apologies to Mother Goose

Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,
The lawyer, the faker, and the policy maker,
Turn them out, knaves all three.

Gonzales confirms his resignation, but admits he 'can't remember' whether or not it has to do with the senate judiciary hearings. jossip
 

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Sunday, August 26, 2007

Dr. Doom is Way Cooler than Reed Richards

 
 

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U.S. is 1 of 8 Nations in the World Not to Sign International Treaty for Rights of Women

 

As of March 2007, 185 nations had signed the international "Treaty for the Rights of Women", leaving the United States as one of eight nations in the world and the only industrialized nation that hasn't signed it. The only other nations that haven't yet signed it are Sudan, Somalia, Qatar, Iran, Nauru, Palau and Tonga. The formal name for the treaty is "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women" (CEDAW). In February of this year the Bush administration indicated that it was "not pressing for ratification at this time."

 

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Presented Without Comment

 
 

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Saturday, August 25, 2007

Saturday Afternoon Cat Blooging: Streaky the Super Cat

 

Streaky the Super Cat is the Pet of Supergirl, AKA Linda Danvers. Streaky is not from Krypton, but is an ordinary house cat from Earth. Supergirl was trying to create a cure for Kryptonite poisoning, and accidently exposed her pet cat Streaky to one of her experiments, a derivative of Kryptonite that she created called Kryptonite-X.


This new substance gave Streaky the Supercat powers far beyond those of mere mortal cats.


No longer earthbound, streaky can fly around just like Supergirl! Jeepers, this is going to take some getting used to!


By an odd twist of fate, Streaky accidently acquires a superman cape. What an amazing coincidence!


Suddenly Streaky remembers some important business that he must take care of right away. Fly like the wind, Streaky!


Not only does Streaky have super powers, but he also knows how to use the litter box.

What a good kitty! Who's a good kitty? Streaky's a good kitty!
 

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Friday, August 24, 2007

Yikes! It's BAC's 2 year blogiversary!

Hey! BAC over at Yikes! Just had her 2 year blogiversary! If you get a chance, why not stop by and say hello. Wish her well on her third year of fantastic blogging! (She has a great little cartoon, too.)

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Greatest "Daily Show" Clip EVER

Greatest "Daily Show" clip EVER. Jon Stewart explains the last three decades of United States intervention in the Middle East. Video stolen from Crooks and Liars.

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The More Things Change, the More They Stink

 

"Remember our war hysteria, when we called sauerkraut 'Liberty cabbage' and somebody actually proposed calling German measles 'Liberty measles'? And wartime censorship of honest papers? Bad as Russia! Remember our kissing the--well, the feet of Billy Sunday, the million-dollar evangelist...Remember when the hick legislators in certain states, in obedience to William Jennings Bryan, who learned his biology from his pious old grandma, set up shop as scientific experts and made the whole world laugh itself sick by forbidding the teaching of evolution?"

"It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1935 (via C&L)

Sinclair Lewis also said;

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
 

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The Republican Party is the Party of Ideas - Really, Really Bad Ideas.   

 
Dick Cheney

How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?

The answer is seven:

* One to deny that a light bulb needs to be replaced.

* One to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the light bulb.

* One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new light bulb.

* One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs.

* One to get together with Vice President Cheney and figure out how to overpay Halliburton one million dollars for each light bulb. 

* One to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the light bulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag.

* And finally, one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country. [anon]
 

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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Election Update for August 23rd, 2007 - Ms. Gregarious is Back From Summer Vacation!

 
Germaine Gregarious

My running mate, Germaine Gregarious, has returned from her summer vacation, and is eager to promote her political assests to the public. I, for one, am overjoyed at her return! Welcome back, Ms. Gregarious!

Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator and Friends

Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator addresses many of the issues that face this nation. I find that I am in agreement with the gladiator on many of the pressing issues of the day, including entertainment. Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator also continues his search for a vice president, and is rebuffed by Jan the Intergalactic Aviator, but finds and eager volunteer in Private Hudson. Jon has been very quiet about his new summer intern Jan Brady, however...

Dr. Smith and the Smithettes

Dr. Smith refuses to debate the issues with the other candidates, and has chosen instead to counter his opponents by introducing the official Smith for President singers. He also presents some vitriolic information about each of the candidates, including yours truly. Sorry Dr. Smith, I am a kitties and bunnies kind of guy. It is Dr. Monkerstein that hates puppies.

Sleestak

Sleestak had a A close call this week. It seems that the vile Dr. Monkerstein attempted to assasinate Sleestak by kidnapping, brainwashing, and pulling a "Manchurian Cadidate" on the beautiful and innocent Joy the Butterfly Ballerina from Tranquility Forest.

Dr. Monkerstein

Dr. Monkerstein has been strangely quit on the subject of politics ever since his recent incarceration, and subsequent ejection form the city of Madison, WI - As chronicled by Jess Wundrin. Life is hard when you're a monkey on the lam.

Samurai Dog

Samurai Dog Samurai Frog claims that Dr. Smith is not at fault for his behavior, that it was the hippie love drugs made him do it! Now he is desperately trying to get the phone number of Smith's candy man. Samurai Frog is also trying to use women's breasts for political gain. >>(NSFW!)<< Ha! As if that would work. Just another tawdry trick by the Fearsome Felonious Frog...

 

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Batwoman vs. Batgirl: You Decide!

 
Batwoman vs. Batgirl

Inspired by a couple of brilliant posts by Sleestak over at Lady, That's My Skull, as well as references to the "librarian look" over at Angry Ballerina, I submit this summertime Batgirl/Batwoman rerun. I think that Samurai Frog and Becca were the only ones that ever saw the original post anyway. After some recent press that Batwoman has been getting, I have decided to attempt to answer the burning question on eveybody's lips - Who is hotter, Batwoman or Batgirl?


Batwoman vs. Batgirl, you decide!
 

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Michael Skube: 'Beware! Bloggers are Everywhere!'

 
The winner of this week's coveted Doody-Head Award goes to Professor Michael Skube

The winner of this week's coveted Doody-Head Award goes to Professor Michael Skube. He has recently written an opinion piece titled, "Blogs: All the noise that fits". He warns that, "Bloggers now are everywhere among us," and states that, "The blogosphere is the loudest corner of the Internet, noisy with disputation, manifesto-like postings and an unbecoming hatred of enemies real and imagined."

He is greatly dismayed that bloggers do their vile profession for no money, and laughs at the concept that some bloggers consider themselves "a new kind of 'citizen journalist' dedicated to broader democratization."

Skube tirelessly points out that journalists provide facts, while bloggers only provide opinions. (The irony of the fact that he said this in an opinion piece is not lost on this author.)

He does acknowledge that it was a blogger that first reported on the national disgrace that took place at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but goes on to say that it was the Washington Post's painstaking reports that were truly important, and not what any blogger said.

Skube points out why journalists like himself are so much more relevant than petty bloggers by saying the following, "[...] the full scope of that story could not have been undertaken by a blogger or, for that matter, an Op-Ed columnist, whose interest is in expressing an opinion quickly and pungently. Such a story demanded time, thorough fact-checking and verification and, most of all, perseverance. It's not something one does as a hobby."

He goes out of his way to mention that the reporting done by the Washington Post about Walter Reed Army Medical Center has won a Pulitzer Prize. The only problem with this statement is that the Post hasn't won a Pulitzer prize for it's reporting on Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Clearly his "thorough fact-checking and verification" only applies to other journalists, and not himself.

One thing that I find particularly doody-headed about Skube is that he is a Professor of communications at ELON University, and yet he finds the unique and dynamic changes in the way we view communications that blogging has created in the last few years as some kind of threat to journalism, and yet has nothing else to say on the subject. (In the field of communications, blogging is about a whole lot more than just news.) This alone would qualify the professor as a doody-head award recipient in my opinion.

I first read about Michael Skube in a post by John Amato over at Crooks and Liars, who points out that the the Skubemeister bashes blogs that he now admits that he doesn’t even read. Previous winners of the coveted Doody-Head Award were Richard Schickel and Robert Novak [ 2 ].
 

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More Headlines: 'Flaming Youth in Tarnished Kisses'

 
Sometimes the title is the best part of the story.
 

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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Edie Sedgwick's Downward Spiral Revisited in the Film "Factory Girl"

 
Edie Sedgewick

I have never really been a big fan of Andy Warhol. I always thought that he was kind of a lame one-joke wonder. Calling a painting of a Campbell's soup can "art" is funny the first time around, but it gets tired pretty quick. I never really learned much about the man until a friend of mine insisted I read the book "Edie" by Jean Stein and George Plimpton. It was a fairly thick hardback, so I was surprised at how quickly I finished it.

It turned out to be one of those books that you can't stop reading. It was fascinating, not only the story but the way that the book was laid out. I learned more about Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol than I ever thought that I would want to know.

By the end of the book, you wish there could be some sort of happy ending. It's a very sad and lonely book. There are no uplifting moments or philosophical events that strengthen or embolden the character. It is like watching the Titanic slowly sink into the sunset. There is nothing that can be done about it.

It is a story of a poor little rich girl who got lost in the seedy wonderland of Andy Warhol's Factory in the 60's. The book is about Edie's rise to fame and subsequent downfall into obscurity. I find the story of Edie Sedgwick far more interesting than any of the hype about Andy Warhol.

So many books are about men succeeding against all odds against a seemingly endless sea of troubles, or sometimes you even find books about a woman succeeding against all odds against a seemingly endless sea of troubles. This is a book about an endless sea of troubles and the woman who becomes entirely consumed by them.

Edie Sedgewick

I found the story so interesting that I even sat through a videotape of Sedgwick's semi-autobiographical film, "Ciao! Manhattan". The film is a cinematic train wreck, but it does capture the complete deterioration of Sedgwick’s life.

A recent film came out called, "Factory Girl" with Sienna Miller as Edie Sedgwick and Guy Pearce as Andy Warhol. I expected the film to be pretty awful, but was delightfully surprised at how well the film played out.

Part of Sedgwick's charm was her energetic personality and her million-dollar smile. I think that Miller captured that part of the role very well. I was surprised at how much she looked like Sedgwick, and acted in the same quirky fashion as Sedgwick throughout the film effortlessly. Guy Pearce does quite well as Andy Warhol, but I don't think that it is a very difficult role to play. David Bowie played Warhol in a 1996 film "Basquiat" and said that the wig was 50% of the role.

The film might seem disjointed to someone that is unfamiliar with the story, but I really enjoyed watching it. That said, let me warn you, Rotten Tomatoes gave it an average rating of 4.8/10, saying "Superficial "Factory Girl" fails to tell a coherent story." I would have to agree, it did fail to tell a coherent story, but if you have read Stein's book "Edie", you would know that there never really was a coherent story to tell in the first place. It's not a story with a clear beginning, middle and end. It is just the story of a young girl whose life went impossibly sour.

I think that if you watch the film, there is probably a good chance that will actually dislike the film. I fear that you may only enjoy the film if you already know and have an interest in the story.

Edie Sedgewick
 

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