Politics
drorzel | July 18, 2011(A white house, Niskayuna, NY) Negotiations stalled for the 125th consecutive minute, dashing early hopes that a compromise might be reached in the tense talks that have gripped this otherwise quiet suburban neighborhood.
As the crisis enters its third hour, both sides reiterated their long-standing positions. "It's 8:45pm, MythBusters is over, it's time to go to bed," said a spokesperson for the administration of Chad Orzel and Kate Nepveu. "Let's go upstairs, read some books, and go to sleep."
"I no WANNNNA!!!" replied SteelyKid, the final syllable rising to a pitch that only neighborhood…
stoat | July 17, 2011There is an excellent article from Light Blue Touchpaper about securing information (just in case you don't get the delicate joke: Cambridge's colour is light blue, as opposed to Oxford's true blue; and of course "light the blue touch paper" is on the instructions of fireworks).
Part of it is just the obvious problems - people no changing their default PINs - and part more disturbing - the lack of ethics amongst a section of journalism, and more importantly the corruption of the police. And I could rant about how rubbish banks etc. are about their ridiculous phone "security". But the more…
jtoney | July 17, 2011
silverlinedwinnebago's Flickr photostream
Some of the happiest people in the world come home smelling to high heaven at the end of the day.
"Bruce Almighty" (2003)
Job growth reigns supreme amongst political discussion. Where will we find these future jobs and how do we prepare for them?
Charles Blow's recent Op-Ed article in The New York Times, "They, Too, Sing America" discusses some compelling data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job opportunities for the next decade may surprise you.
They are women whose skin glistens from steam and sweat, whose hands stay damp from being…
pharyngula | July 16, 2011I guess the Catholic church is concerned about the rights of breast cancer tumors: they probably identify too much with a deadly metastatic disease, and don't want to seem them hindered. At least, that's the only way I can interpret the decision of the Toledo, Ohio diocese to ban all support for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Or maybe it's just because breast cancer primarily affects women, so letting them die is of minimal consequence to them.
Their published reasoning is almost as ludicrous as that. Church officials say they won't support Komen because 1) some of the money might go to…
sa smith | July 15, 2011NOOOOO!!! ALL HOPE IS LOST!!!
Gov. Fallin is asking Oklahomans to turn to a higher power this Sunday, July 17, 2011 and pray for rain.
"I encourage Oklahomans of all faiths to join me this Sunday in offering their prayers for rain," Fallin said. "For the safety of our firefighters and our communities and the well-being of our crops and livestock, this state needs the current drought to come to an end. The power of prayer is a wonderful thing, and I would ask every Oklahoman to look to a greater power this weekend and ask for rain."
Rick Perry of Texas already TRIED THIS. Texas prayed for…
catdynamics | July 14, 2011House appropriations committee reported out the Science etc bill.
JWST remains deleted; armchair quantum wires are in...
Here we go.
Next step.
House appropriations committee approved the report of the subcommittee on Science etc for 2012 appropriations.
Bill was essentially unchanged, with minor amendments.
0.1% was shaved off everyone and given to NOAA.
JWST remains CUT CUT CUT!
And McCollum (D) put in two amendments prohibiting funding for corps convicted of felonies or owing taxes - that could have interesting consequences, wonder who that is aimed at.
Anyway, Sen. Mikulski put out…
drorzel | July 14, 2011Via Jessa Crispin on Twitter, there's a really excellent article in the Paris Review about Harvard and Class:
When I applied, I thought it would be great because I would get to meet lots of smart people. Those were the kinds of people I liked to be friends with, and I thought there would be more of them there. That was the main reason I thought it would be a fun place to be. I don't think I was super ambitious or professional minded or even a very good student.
The thing I figured out soon after I applied was that, on Gilligan's Island, it wasn't the Professor who went to Harvard, it was Mr.…
sastyk | July 14, 2011Over the years I've written a great deal about SNAP/Food Stamps and other hunger alleviation programs, but I've never written anything specifically about WIC, which I have tended to lump in with other food programs. I've been thinking, however, a lot about WIC lately, because it has come on the budget chopping block in the US - along with other food security programs including the CSFP which serves low income seniors and the emergency food program that provides commodities to emergency food pantries. While Republicans restored funds for military bands, they took them out, as is customary,…
gregladen | July 13, 2011The twain shall never meet. Below the fold. Not work safe. Do not be drinking coffee. Sex with demons!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I always thought homosexual were savage. Glad to see the Illuminati are in charge still.
Thank you Right Wing Watch and Rachel Maddow. Hat Tip PZ Myers.
stoat | July 13, 2011 Ripping off Timmy:
Laptops and mobile phones mean that at least a modicum of work can be done while travelling. So the value of time saved by fewer hours travelling should fall. In fact, we can almost certainly go further. Sitting with a laptop, a phone and a decent internet connection in a comfy seat on a train is, these days, almost as productive as being in a nice office in a comfy chair with a computer, phone and decent internet connection.
In which case the value of the reduced transport time for these very important people collapses down to almost nothing. Something which rather…
jtoney | July 13, 2011When I saw the message below from Charles Blow, columnist for The New York Times, and listened to the audio from Rep. Bachmann, I considered writing a commentary about the position of the American Psychiatric Association on the use of "reparation therapy" to "cure" homosexuals in light of Dr. Marcus Bachmann's business. Then I thought: let the readers and listeners consider Rep. Bachmann's own words, delivered in a heartfelt, sincere tone. After all, she is running for President of the United States.
CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
RT @memeorandum Audio: Bachmann in '04: 'It's part of Satan,…
pharyngula | July 12, 2011This is wicked. Maddow compiled crazy deranged comments from a collection of ministers who will be speaking at Rick Perry's big prayer event in Texas, where he purportedly will work out economic policies with these wackos. Near as I can tell, that policy will involve sending Oprah to Gitmo, herding the Jews off to Israel, and avoiding sex with demons.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Now you can be afraid, too.
catdynamics | July 12, 2011back to the science subcommittee appropriations
In case I haven't gone on about it enough, I think the James Webb Space Telescope has been tossed under the bus.
It is deleted, after being isolated and hung out to dry.
It is possible that funding will be restored in the Senate or in conference, but I think the deal has been made, implicitly, that Goddard gets to keep the (equally or worse mismanaged) big weather and environmental science programs, and JWST is sacrificed as a token high profile budget cut.
The money does not go back to astrophysics, which then has a permanent large cut in…
catdynamics | July 12, 2011House subcommittee on Science etc has reported out and full committee is scheduled to vote on the 13th.
JWST cut is formally in as are various other interesting snippets.
The subcommittee report (pdf large) - ie the appropriations by agency recommended to the full committee
Summary Table (pdf) - handy dandy difference between 2012 actual appropriations vs 2011 actual and 2012 requested, respectively.
Remember: this is the subcommittee recommendation to the committee, that gets voted on, then sent to House, then Senate does its thing, then it goes to conference to reconcile.
Change can…
sa smith | July 12, 2011Despite his apparent random and brief moments of lucidity, I cant say Im a 'big fan' of Oklahoma senator and physician Tom Coburn (click here to read his completely insane 'analysis' of HIV/AIDS). He says hes 'PRO-LIFE' yet he held up funds for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in Africa because some of the organizations that would receive this funding offer family planning services which include abortion services.
Killing 'babies' while they are unfeeling, unthinking barely multicellular organisms: BAD!
Killing very real, very thinking, very feeling babies via long, painful deaths via AIDS…
pharyngula | July 11, 2011They're just not very bright and don't know much about them.
Richard Ruelas, a reporter for The Arizona Republic, found himself staring down the barrel of Republican state Sen. Lori Klein's raspberry-pink firearm during a recent interview at the Capitol.
"Oh, it's so cute," Klein said of the .380 Ruger that she carries in purse at all times.
While the loaded pistol had no safety and the laser pointer was centered on the reporter's chest, Klein explained that there was no need to worry.
"I just didn't have my hand on the trigger," she said.
I think there's good cause to revoke her…
gregladen | July 11, 2011I woke up this morning and the world was slightly different than it was the night before. Well, it probably always is a little different each day, but there are certain times when you notice this. I'm not talking about the bits of siding, roofing, and trees scattered about the landscape because of the very severe thunderstorm we had last night, although I suppose this is indirectly related.
If you are not a Minnesotan this will take some explanation:
Don Shelby newscaster, was the Walter Cronkite of the Twin Cities. Stately in appearance, white-haired (since birth, presumably), deep…
pharyngula | July 11, 2011I hope this is something we can all agree on. Today is the The International Day against Stoning, a consciousness-raising event organized by Mina Ahadi, Patty Debonitas, and Maryam Namazie to call attention to the fact that some countries still practice public stonings as punishments for petty offenses against propriety. There are people in prison right now, awaiting that day when authorities drag them into the public square and people murder them by battering them with rocks.
As you know Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is still languishing in prison. The authorities recently mentioned her case…
pharyngula | July 9, 2011At last, you too can understand how our government works.
Be sure to listen through to the end and catch the request for donations. Giving Weiner the money to buy explosives sounds like a total win to me.
pharyngula | July 8, 2011Oh, lord, what have we done to deserve the affliction that is Michele Bachmann? I'm beginning to think there is no god up there. Her latest joyful promise to the extreme Right is a set of promises for what she'll do as president.
Tonight, Michele Bachmann became the first presidential candidate to sign a pledge created by THE FAMiLY LEADER, an influential social-conservative group in Iowa. By signing the pledge Bachmann "vows" to "uphold the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman" by committing herself to 14 specifics steps. The ninth step calls for the banning of "all…