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12.04.2009
I am a fan of spicy chips. When I go to a grocery store, a 7-11 or a campus snack place I look for spicy chips. Its been an ongoing obsession... The standby is the favorite -- Flaming Hot Cheetos. If nothing else is around I can be pretty sure to find these. Yummy, but a little messy. The Cheddar Jalapeno version is not quite as good. The Holy Grail -- Fiery Habanero Doritos. They were around for a while but I think they discontinued them. These were may favorite and I still keep an eye out for them even as I realize that they are gone. A good alternative -- was the Toro Habanero that Doritos had out for a bit. I fear these may be gone now as well. Interesting find -- was the Tim Mcgraw's Spicy Jalapeno Fritos that were out for a bit and now seem to be resurrected as the non Tim Mcgraw's version. Yumm.... If nothing else I'll pick up a bag of Vickie's Jalapeno chips which they always seem to have at Subway. If you have any recommendations let me know... | 11.30.2009
So... Palin links favorably to a letter from a 95 year old veteran who feels compelled to write to his congressman to address the alleged failings of our current president. I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish. Followed by a laundry list of Fox news talking points about how the president is destroying the country and betraying the ideals of Americans. Which would be understandable if any of it were actually true... (sigh) For example... When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of. ... straight from the mouths of Dick Cheney and Fox News. Its absurd to say that the president should always do what his generals want, which is a careless abdication of decision making on his part. Also absurd is believing that the only way to "win" this battle is more troops. This is the canard being pushed by the president's political enemies who continuously throw stones from the sidelines from which they were so pointedly relegated to in the last election. But the details are unimportant. The point here is that all decisions made by the president are instantaneously criticized by the right wing talkers as wrong and foolish. The constant drumbeat of negativism has an effect on perception. If you spend any considerable amount of time watching right wing television you will get a distorted view of reality. This man, despite his best intentions, is acting on bad information he is getting from the right wing political news outlets. Its a real shame that people are being mislead, deceived, manipulated and lied to by Fox News and the right wing political outlets. Instead of applauding what this man is writing I am scared that such tactics are having a real effect on people. | 11.25.2009
But with the arrival of factory turkey farming in the 1960's, all that changed. Factory-farm turkeys don't even see the outdoors. Instead, as many as 10,000 turkeys that hatched at the same time are herded from brooders into a giant barn. These barns generally are windowless, but are illuminated by bright lights 24 hours a day, keeping the turkeys awake and eating. Some people ask me why I am a vegetarian. I sometimes find myself wondering.. "why not?" There are many good reasons to be a vegetarian and only a few not to be: 1) You don't care. 2) It'd be an inconvenience to you. By now it just makes sense and I can't think of ever eating meat again. It always disturbs me a little when I meet people who still have some weird meat fetish. In order to keep eating meat, you have to willfully ignore the bizarro world of animal food production and cling to a level of ignorance that is almost mind numbing. It seems as though we are in denial over what has happened to our relationship to the natural world. | What's so sad is that in an effort to push the political agenda in the direction they think will be best for their immediate interests, political actors like Fox News and their ilk are mobilizing a large group of people who are too ignorant to realize that the misinformation they are acting on is going to hurt us all in the long run. I don't doubt that many of these people who show up at the tea party rallies are motivated by what they feel is right for this country. What I do regret is that some people feel it is best for themselves to feed people wrong information. For the record, Palin is a dupe like so many on this video. She doesn't realize that she is parroting the same stupidity that is being fed to all of us. Once you are armed some critical thinking skills you can ward off such stupidity. | 10.31.2009
10.26.2009
So, lately the wifey and i have been watching Enterprise, which I was initially hesitant to watch because I heard that it was a bit revisionist. I am glad I decided to watch, its a good show, and it makes me wish that the Star Trek universe would reboot and take what BSG did so well and incorporate that into the Star Trek universe. That is what makes the latest Star Trek movie such a let down. It was BAD. I know its a big new DVD release and people are going to buy it by the millions or something.. but its BAD. BAD. I should just say that I hate time travel plot lines. It kills all credibility. I should say that I hate that they destroyed Vulcan. It was gratuitous. I should say that I am disappointed that they decided to turn Star Trek into Transformers. Another BAD movie... and its sequel too... | 9.12.2009
More Czars than the U.S.S.R? That was one of the signs present at the tea party in D.C. today held by the right wingers. If you don't get why its so funny then it might mean you're a conservative nut job. Frankly, what seems to be fueling some of the fury by the right is their total ignorance of history, government, politics and even current events. This is to be expected when you narrow your information sources down to a handful of talking heads pushing an emotion fueled agenda. Even a basic reading of world history (.. and I'm not even a big history buff -- I just like documentaries) would have informed you that the Czar of Russia was kicked out by the Bolshevik revolution which lead to the formation of the U.S.S.R. But then again, most of my debates with right wingers has been woefully devoid of facts about either current or historical events from their side. Even looking back a few years to the Bush administration days might inform their opinions about how our country got into its current economic dilemma. You cannot undertake a costly overseas war and not expect it to come out of taxpayer pockets in the long run. But magically, they never see the Iraq war as being a huge financial burden to everyone in this country. Somehow a healthcare overhaul that will end up saving Americans money on their healthcare costs will send us careening into the great abyss but an utterly pointless war that has trapped us in Iraq as a seemingly perpetual peace keeping force doesn't ever cost us a dime? Go figure. But idealistic integrity has never been a right wing strong point. Its part of why I never debate them anymore. If you can never agree on the very basic idea of what constitutes reality, what is the point? So, if the Czars ran the Soviet Union, polar ice caps are melting as a giant plot to perpetuate the hoax of climate change, the United States was founded as a Christian theocracy for European immigrants, dinosaurs really existed in Biblical times, gay people can all just magically decide not to be gay anymore, or many other delusional fantasies, does it really make sense to try to debate the finer points of public policy? I don't think so. There has to be a common framework of reality in order for two people to have a rational discussion. This is why education is so important. Recently Obama wanted to speak to American schoolchildren in a televised message. The right wingers blew their top yet again and insisted that the President was trying to promote leftist policies. Of course, there is a good debate to be had about the role of the president in addressing schoolchildren but the real threat to the right wingers is that their kids might learn science, history or even critical thought and rational thinking. This would almost certainly lead them to turn away from right wing thought, notions of white and/or American and/or Christian exceptionalism, religious doctrines in general, and all manner of logical fallacies that somehow pass as right wing "arguments". Education in the arts, sciences and history, though not a guarantee, is a fairly effective way to turn anyone into a raving liberal. There's plenty of room for debate about various issues. What should healthcare look like in this country? What are the reasons for climate change and what would be an effective way to eliminate them without turning the world upside down? What are rational solutions to real problems and how can avoid potential pitfalls that might lead to further problems or unintended consequences? But for those marching on Washington D.C. this week the problem is one of information. They choose to inform themselves in ways that make them more ignorant. Garbage in, gargabe out. Without a good grasp of reality someone can always tell you what the problem is and who is to blame. | 5.08.2009
As Exemptions Grow, Religion Outweighs Regulation - New York Times
An analysis by The New York Times of laws passed since 1989 shows that more than 200 special arrangements, protections or exemptions for religious groups or their adherents were tucked into Congressional legislation, covering topics ranging from pensions to immigration to land use. New breaks have also been provided by a host of pivotal court decisions at the state and federal level, and by numerous rule changes in almost every department and agency of the executive branch. What I want is an exemption card for atheists. This card would exempt me from all the religious bullshit that pervades our society. I could buy liquor anywhere I wanted. I could watch TV shows with all the nude scenes and obscene language intact. I could go out to eat on Sundays and work any day I want. Additionally, I wouldn't have to deal with religious people on Sundays as they would not be able to go out shopping or anything else without their religious exemption card. Let's be honest, we all know a "good christian" that claims they can't work on Sunday and then goes out to eat and shopping after church while all of us that have to work Sundays deal with them and their special-ness.  | 3.24.2009
New Star Trek TV Spot! - Movie News - Latest Movie Reviews and trailers
Have to say it looks too much like an action movie and too little like a Star Trek Movie. Sure, Trek had some action elements that they would pull out every once in a while, but for the most part it was a character drama that tried to tie in bigger human issues into a sci-fi universe. This looks like it might be too much like Transformers for me to like.  | 2.22.2009
Governors’ Fight Over Stimulus May Define G.O.P. - NYTimes.com
“There is some we will not take in Mississippi,” Governor Barbour told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “We want more jobs. You don’t get more jobs by putting an extra tax on creating jobs.” So the governors of Mississippi and Louisiana might not take the stimulus money because they need to stick to an ideological belief that has never served their states well. According to the Census Bureau Mississippi and Louisiana rank highest and third to highest respectively in rates of poverty, well above the national average. Its a shame that these GOP governors would let their states suffer to further a failed ideology.  | 2.10.2009
07.22.2003 - Researchers help define what makes a political conservative
Four researchers who culled through 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism report that at the core of political conservatism is the resistance to change and a tolerance for inequality, and that some of the common psychological factors linked to political conservatism include: Seems to fit with the conservatives I've had the "pleasure" of meeting. The researchers said that conservative ideologies, like virtually all belief systems, develop in part because they satisfy some psychological needs An emotionally based need to accept inequality and to see the world in stark black and white terms makes conservatives so much fun.  | 2.08.2009
2.03.2009
Wells Fargo defends, then cancels Vegas junket 4 months after $25B taxpayer bailout - 2/3/2009 7:36:11 PM | Newser
The trip was to come on the heels of this week's announcement that Wells Fargo lost more than $2.3 billion in the last three months of 2008. Classic. Another example that the people who run these companies are immune to the fact that they can use other people's money as they see fit. | 2.02.2009
2.01.2009
Phelps Apologizes for Marijuana Pipe Photograph - NYTimes.com
The Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps quickly acknowledged his poor judgment after a photograph showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe was published Sunday in a British newspaper. I think its time for people to get over their puritan streak when it comes to pot. I understand that the spineless corporations are not going to take a stand any time soon, but Phelps really should just say "Taking your money does not make me a slave to your corporate image..." Or does it...? None of his endorsers are going to take a stand for Phelp's privacy rights when they are paying for the image of Phelps that they want to use for their own benefit. They feel like giving him money gives them control over him when in fact the guy is a damn good swimmer and that's in no part thanks to the corporations and their money. They buy credit and get spooked when they get a real person as part of the deal. | 1.31.2009
What Red Ink? Wall St. Paid Fat Bonuses - NYTimes.com
Despite crippling losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and the passing of some of the most prominent names in the business, employees at financial companies in New York, the now-diminished world capital of capital, collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for the year. Of course President Obama had a word or two to say to the companies on Wall St. that are taking money and still pretending that its their own. His message was essentially, there is a time and a place to steal people's money. Even though Wall St. companies are used to stealing money from others and pocketing it for their own use, they should realize that there is a limit to just how blatant they can be in this process. For the sake of the system, for the sake of continued theft and exploitation in the future, the businesses that are even now pocketing government money should at least pretend to care about the vast numbers of working people that make their wealth possible. The president is warning them that the alternative may be a financial revolution and an awaking by the American people to the swindling that goes on day after day in this country. | |
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